The World Mio Only Knows
by xellos540
Summary: Third instalment in The World Not Only God Knows series and a direct sequel to The World Ayumi Only Knows. Mio is the next girl to get her chance with Keima, but will Vulcan comply with her wish? And why does Mio want this chance anyway? It's not like she has feelings for a commoner, right? Follow the ex-ojōsama, as she aims for her ending without a goddess at her side! Post-manga.
1. Flag 41: Give us our daily bread

**Hello everyone!**

 **Here is the first chapter of "The World Mio Only Knows" (henceforth known as "MioNomi"), which is a third installment in the series of "The World Not Only God Knows" (also known as "KamiNomiNai") and a direct sequel to "The World Ayumi Only Knows" (aka "AyumiNomi").**

 **As usual, we'll start with lengthy author's notes, which are VERY important.**

 **0\. Disclaimer: I do not own The World God Only Knows manga.**

 **1\. This story is intended for romance between Mio Aoyama and Keima Katsuragi and will be aimed mainly at that with addition of some humor.**

 **2\. The story heavily relies on the MANGA version of The World God Only Knows. If you haven't read the manga you won't be able to recognize some characters or situations, especially since Mio had some scenes in the manga that were not adapted into anime. This included some minor details (for example, manga shows Mio still wearing her boots after her conquest, so I will be following that).**

 **3\. The story also relies heavily on both prequels, so it is highly recommended you read those as well. Otherwise you won't have idea why various characters know about each other and why they are acting like that (in particular you won't know why the girls who should have feelings for Keima don't have them at the moment).**

 **4\. For now the story is T-rated and it will most likely remain as that. Some cussing, adult themes and innuendos are highly probable though.**

 **5\. The story and its plotline is very much in progress and I plan on weekly updates (although it doesn't take a genius to notice that those two statements contradict each other). Moreover, I plan for this story to be shorter than AyumiNomi... however having a beliavable romance between Keima and Mio is harder to do than in the case of Ayumi... so another contradiction.**

 **6\. I know that Mio is not as popular heroine as some others, but I kindly ask you to read this story and then follow and favorite it once it develops. I also kindly ask you to drop me a review once in a while – the reviews are really motivating and help me keep my schedule.**

 **7\. This note is already big, but there's one more topic I need to discuss. And that topic is Mio Aoyama herself.**

 **I have read pretty much all fics on this site that mentioned Mio more than in passing and I've come to the conclusion that the way I view her is different from most people. Many writers make her look like Haqua and lose her composure constantly and spout famous tsundere lines ("D-don't take it wrong! I d-don't like you at all!"). But I don't really think that Mio is that kind of "switching" tsundere that is easy to rile up.**

 **For me Mio is more true to the original meaning of tsundere, where she initially acts strict and unapproachable (and somewhat violent), but once Keima digs under her armor she becomes gentler permanently. Well, the permanent part might not be true yet, but the general idea still holds.**

 **Moreover, Haqua or Diana get angry and flustered easily and they have problems being honest. And it shows, as they're unable to stay calm. Mio is different. She's a fairly good actress and was able to fool a lot of people. She seems almost aware of her "tsun armor" and wields it to hide her secrets and feelings. In fact, it took considerable events (like learning of her secret) for her to start to lose her composure, and even then she was capable of hiding behind her armor again. I think Mio's actually strong. Granted, she's not as strong and unaffected as Keima and she would've destroyed herself is she continued like this... but for a pampered girl she's strong.**

 **Or stubborn. :)**

 **On a side note, while she gets angry and violent frequently, she gets prideful, unimpressed and ignorant just as often, suggesting she's actually somewhere between tsundere and kuudere.**

 **In short (Mio's height pun intended), don't be surprised when Mio in this fic is acting different than you expected. In fact, I've been re-reading "her" parts of the manga and rediscovering her. We'll se what will come out of it.**

 **Okay, that's enough of it, onto the chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

It was Thursday and Mio Aoyama was sitting in her chair, half pretending she was listening to the teacher and half trying to keep herself from falling asleep. For some reason she didn't sleep so well last night.

It's all Yui's fault, she thought as she took a glance at the cross-dresser sitting on the other end of the classroom.

Well, that idol Nakagawa was to blame too! Couldn't she keep her thoughts to herself? At this rate-

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the bell. Finally, the class was over. Mio automatically stood up. It was lunch break and she headed for the Demeter food stand, intending to obtain her daily serving of the omelet-soba bread.

The carbohydrate-rich meal should keep her awake long enough to survive through the day, she thought, as she wandered through the hallways like a starved zombie.

She sighed. The truth was that she barely got any sleep last night. That wasn't so surprising though – yesterday was the day when that girl Takahara had woken up in the infirmary and that other girl – Kosaka – had given her blessings to the other girls. It was also the day when Mio had "called dibs" on Katsuragi, so she will be next person to get a chance with the orb.

Assuming she didn't mess anything up. This was very possible though. She might be used to looking down on people and getting what she wants. Who could blame her? She was short, so a good bark was her strongest weapon. And she was the president's daughter, damnit!

Anyway, all of that might be true, but still... arguing and looking down on an actual _goddess_ might've not been the best decision of her life. And the deity in question was the oldest of all six of them if Mio remembered right.

To make matters worse, Vulcan have been glaring daggers at her entire yesterday evening, Mio was sure of that. The fact that she couldn't see the menacing floating doll when she turned around meant nothing – no matter where she went yesterday she could feel Vulcan's stare on her.

And this was the second reason she didn't get much sleep last night.

Mio continued to walk, not paying attention to students passing her by. On the outside she was looking perfectly normal (except the weary, sleep deprived eyes), but she sighed on the inside. Maybe she shouldn't have been so rude to the goddess... but she couldn't help it! The girls have been insinuating she had a thing for Katsuragi in public! How was she supposed to react to that?

Mio just hoped that Vulcan will prepare the orb for her... after all she didn't even get any confirmation before running out of there.

The blonde was shaken out of her thoughts by a sudden rush of cold. Mio cringed – she didn't even realize she walked out of the school building. She walked back, retrieved her winter coat and then walked out into the windy November air.

Thanks god that the outdoor bakery was operating even in this time of the year. Nonetheless, Mio was aware that the days were becoming colder and soon snow was bound to arrive, making the trips to the bread stand significantly less pleasant.

Sigh... the things she did for the bread...

When she finally made her way to the stand she noticed that despite the cold weather and today not being a "good Tuesday" there was still a sizeable crowd of students gathered around the bakery. Well, it wasn't as if they were going to buy up all the bread. Still, it was a pain to wait. And Mio didn't want to push through the crowd again – platform boots could help her height, but not her body mass and general petiteness.

Not to mention that snow would make walking even more difficult and soon she will have to switch to regular winter boots. Then the commoners will be able to look down on her again and she wasn't looking forward to that at all.

She huffed to no-one in particular and headed for the bench to wait for the crowd of students to thin out.

"You really like this bread, don't you?"

Mio almost tripped and turned around in surprise only to see her classmate Tsukiyo approach her.

"What are you doing here?" Mio asked, truly surprised. Did she also came here for the bread? Or maybe her goddess was going to go out and torture her on the spot or something? The guys by the bread stand probably wouldn't even notice.

The bread was just that good.

Tsukiyo didn't answer her question, looking at the bread stand instead.

"Those sandwiches don't get spoiled quickly, so you could always just buy a week supply of them in advance instead of having to wait, you know?" the other blonde suggested.

"Nah, I would eat them in two days and then go hungry for the rest of the week" Mio waved her hand. "But waiting is problematic, the first years are always here before me."

Surprisingly Tsukiyo smiled. "I can help you with that" she said as she produced two omelet-soba sandwiches from the pockets of her cute coat. "I bought them in the morning. Would you like one?"

Mio's eyes immediately flashed.

"Absolutely!" she replied, abandoning her pride for a second. "Just let me get my purse."

"This is for free" Tsukiyo said, handing over one sandwich to Mio. "And no buts!" she added as Mio opened her mouth to object.

"Actually, do you mind we eat together?" Tsukiyo asked. "Possibly somewhere more private?"

"I guess" Mio replied, but in her mind alarm bells were going off one by one.

The two of them walked back inside the high school, shielded from the wind biting into their clothes and soon were sitting on a bench in a more deserted part of the school Mio didn't even know existed.

"This is not bad" Tsukiyo said, taking a bite from her sandwich. "Although I still don't understand why you're so fixated on this."

Mio didn't reply. She didn't unwrap her sandwich either.

"So, did you want to talk to me about something?" she finally asked.

If Vulcan was going to get revenge on her, then now was the time.

"Well, I guess we could talk, but that'll have to wait" Tsukiyo replied. Mio looked at in question, only to see the other blonde rummage in her bag for a moment, before retrieving...

"Is that what I think it is?" Mio asked, before she could stop herself.

"Yes" Tsukiyo said, a new orb in her hand, before presenting it to Mio. "Here."

The girl hesitated and then extended her own hand to grab the orb. She got it, but Tsukiyo didn't let go.

"A few things first though" the moon-lover said. "First, Vulcan is angry with you."

Mio gulped inaudibly. "Umm... could you tell her that I'm sorry?"

"I don't need to, she's listening to this" Tsukiyo replied, before going back to business. "Two, you should be grateful."

"I am grateful" Mio said, not used to getting _that_ particular word past her lips and from the look in Tsukiyo eyes she somehow understood that it was similar for the other girl too.

Damn, talking with people like equals was difficult.

"Third" Tsukiyo continued. "It would be best if you waited before using this. Keima needs his rest before each... journey."

"Right" Mio said. "Anything else?"

"Well, Vulcan didn't say anything more..." Tsukiyo let go of the orb and stood up. Mio nodded and was about to get up as well when the other blonde spoke again. "...but I want to offer you a piece of advice" she looked Mio in the eyes and the other girl somehow knew what was coming. "It will go a lot easier if you'll just be honest with yourself. You should think about it."

Mio opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"I promised Shiori I'll help her with something, so I need to go before the break is over... see you in class" and with that Tsukiyo turned around and walked off.

Mio remained on the bench till the bell rang, the omelet-soba bread still unwrapped.

This must be a record of time she had had the bread in her hands without devouring it.

(* * *)

The following night has been restless as well. Mio didn't want to think too deeply about what Tsukiyo had said, but she wasn't able to clear her mind either. Add to it the fact that it was another busy day (what with her part-time job and the homework) and it resulted in Mio sleeping through half of her Friday classes.

Still, Mio noticed Tsukiyo giving her worried glances. And she certainly did notice Yui looking at her as well. This created a paradox. Tsukiyo told Mio to not be too hasty, while Yui obviously wanted her to use the orb as soon as possible. Yui didn't know Mio already had the orb – otherwise she would just go fetch Katsuragi and force him and Mio on the trip already.

Tsk, prolonging this was a pain, Mio thought.

Thus, she decided to get this over with today. She just didn't know how to do it. Once this thing started she will be out for a day and she didn't want to get her mother worried, so it would be nice if she could get one of those New Hell toys and make a doll of herself to attend school for her. But how? And how was she supposed to get Katsuragi to touch the orb? It's not like she could tell him the truth...

Anyway, she had to do something soon or Yui's stare on the back of her head would drive her insane...

Wait a moment... that's it!

(* * *)

After school Mio went for her part-time job and somehow managed to return to her apartment before 7 PM.

"I'm home" she announced as soon as she was inside, but no-one answered. So her mother was not at home. Well, it's not like she could be – she had to work an afternoon shift on Fridays.

And Morita left after he drove Mio home, so he wouldn't interfere with her plans today.

Splendid, Mio though. Now she only had to wait on her other servant to do the rest of the job.

Well, at least that what she thought she would do, but twenty minutes later she started to get nervous for some reason. She did her homework, but she was surprised when she was done with it in record time. How come? When she was looking for an excuse to not do it then it seemed so tedious, but now it was so easy? Stupid homework!

After that she offered an incense for her father, the president. Then she decided to change out of her schoolwear and put on some casual clothes. After she was done she decided that casual clothes were too casual for an occasion like that.

Occasion? What occasion? she berated herself as she took off her shirt and tossed it into a corner. It was 7:53 PM now and Mio was afraid that her guests would arrive any moment now and catch her in the middle of changing clothes.

But they didn't and at 8:10 Mio walked back into her room and retrieved a hidden sandwich from one of her drawers. Most girls used chocolate as their "secret emergency anti-stress" food, but for Mio it was the sandwiches.

Besides, things like chocolate were for commoners, anyway!

She has already consumed half of the sandwich when she heard some commotion coming from outside. She was at her front door in a second and opened it only to see...

"Hey, girl!" Yui greeted, winking at her. "I would've been sooner, but it wasn't easy to spot your house from above in this darkness" the drummer went inside before Mio could even let her in.

"What do you mean 'from above'?" Mio asked.

"Ah, well, me and Mars decided it would be easier to fly here. And Mars helped carry him" Yui gestured to the person in her arms.

That person was Katsuragi.

"Wait, you have flown all the way here? What about my neighbors seeing you?!" Mio hollered, ignoring the fact that Yui just kidnapped Katsuragi.

"It's dark, so it's not a problem. It was freezing up there though" Yui replied before asking. "So where do I put him?"

Mio motioned to her living room couch and Yui dropped Keima right there.

"Sheesh! I've been working out and I know Keima-kun is a guy, but he's heavier than I though!"

"Why is he unconscious?" Mio asked, ignoring Yui's remark.

"Well, we were flying really fast..." the cross-dresser scratched the back of her head.

Mio was about to snap, but then she reconsidered. This might actually be a good development. But Yui still deserved a scolding.

"Why did I even bother to ask you for help?" Mio said in exasperation.

"Aww... you're cute when you're mad, you know?" Yui said, leaning over Mio and the blonde groaned. Was Yui even a girl anymore?

"Did you get the other thing done?"

"Yeah" Yui said, smiling. "I got in touch with one of those devil girls and I arranged that they'll prepare that hagoromo doll replacements for you in class and at home tomorrow... Oh... and I will take over your shift at your part-time job tomorrow as well."

Mio wanted to ask how Yui managed to get in touch with the New Hell devils, but decided against it. Besides... the very reason Mio has chosen Yui to do this was because Mio didn't know _how_ to do this.

And as they say: if you want to do the impossible then just tell to do that to someone who doesn't _know_ it's impossible.

And saying that for Yui nothing was impossible was only slight exaggeration.

"So, right now you will have Keima touch the orb, right?" Yui's voice brought Mio back to reality.

"W-what?" Mio responded. "What do you mean, right now?"

"Well, all you have to do is grab his hand and place it on the orb" Yui explained, as if she was explaining something trivial.

"Katsuragi's unconscious!" Mio noticed in irritation.

"So what?" Yui shrugged. "Nobody said he has to be awake, so just let's do it!"

If Yui thought that Mio would just let her walk all over her then she was wrong... proved when Mio uttered "I'll get it from here, thank you very much, see you!" and then forced her out of her apartment in record time.

"Aww! I wanted to see how it looks from the outside, 'cause I didn't get to see it last time!" Yui whined, but smiled.

"Good luck, girl" she thought as she walked off, humming. Now hat she wasn't flying it wasn't so cold and she felt like walking all the way to her own house tonight.

(* * *)

Mio closed the door, leaned on it and then suddenly realized the situation she was in as she found herself alone in a room with Katsuragi sleeping on her couch.

Come to think of it, no other man was ever here except for Morita. And possibly her father, if you count his portrait inside the altar. But certainly no boys.

No, she shook her head, before the heat could spread all over her face. The entire point of bringing Katsuragi here was to get this done. She couldn't continue like this – with uneasy nights full of questions with no answers and with Yui and others putting pressure on her. She needed to get the control of her life back.

Besides, she already said she will do it, so there was no turning back now.

She slowly approached the couch, but she didn't want to take any chances, so she took out her whip and poked Keima from distance, like back when she thought he was an alien ten years ago. Shouldn't he be just asleep? He was breathing, right? So why wasn't he waking up? Well, she wasn't really sure she wanted him awake when she did this, she thought as she sat on the other end of the couch. Suddenly she felt alien herself. Like she was intruding. Like it was his couch and she was about to bully him or something.

What the hell was she thinking? It was _her_ apartment and _her_ couch! And he should be grateful, that he's got the _privilege_ to be sitting here. Mio shook her head and inched closer to him, intending to just slap him awake. She raised her whip in anger, but before she could even decide whether she wanted to hit him or not she noticed that his eyes were open.

It was like the first time she saw him on her doorstep. She looked at him and he looked at her. And for a second there was perfect silence. And then.

"Waah!" they both shrieked in surprisingly similar voices. Keima backed away and banged his head into a wall cupboard that was hung here due to lack of space. Mio had more luck, or at least she thought so, until she backed too much and over the edge of the couch. In result she almost fell off. She managed to catch her balance, but at the cost of kicking her legs wildly and giving Katsuragi quite a view... or she would have if he hadn't been busy nursing the new-formed lump on the back of his head.

Well, a lump is still better than her having to beat him up for seeing her underwear, right?

"What are you doing here?" Keima asked when he got the pain down to manageable levels. He then paused and looked around, giving Mio exactly two seconds to come out with some sort of response.

"Wait, why am I _here_?" he asked.

Obviously she didn't manage to come up with anything good, so she just went with the flow.

"Yui brought you here" she said. It wasn't even a lie.

"Why?" Keima asked after a moment.

Mio couldn't answer him. Scratch that, she couldn't even answer when she asked that question herself!

"I don't know what's going on, but can I go now?" Keima said and stood up. He was probably expecting Mio to throw him out of her apartment herself. He certainly didn't expect Mio to lunge at him and grab his shoulder.

"Wait!" she shouted and pulled.

A little too strong.

*BAM*

"Oww..." Mio held her nose, but it wasn't bleeding. Truth be told, the fall wasn't that painful... it felt kinda soft as if...

Mio blinked and saw red. A red school uniform. She looked up and saw Keima holding the back of his head again. Only then she realized she had landed on him. And she was straddling him.

"What was that for?" Keima hollered. "What did I do to you to deserv-" he stopped when he noticed their current predicament. And then he noticeably blushed.

That blush, however, was nothing compared to Mio's.

Another second of silence.

"Get off, idiot!" Mio ordered, hitting him on the chest comically. That was too close. Too close!

"You're the one who's sitting on me!" Keima said.

Both of them then heard a strange *clang*. They turned to the side and saw the orb just lying there innocently.

"What's this?" Keima asked, reaching for the orb. Mio's hand darted out to grab it before him, but she realized he was too fast. For a moment she thought they were going to both touch it at the same time, but no – Keima snatched it before she could grasp it.

"Didn't it fall out of your pocket?" Keima asked. This certainly felt like a flag of some kind. He couldn't decide whether this flag was benevolent or malevolent. But it was better not to risk anything. And even better – learn something before acting. "How come you have something like that?"

Mio's blush intensified as a feeling of shame invaded her. She knew that one very well – it was like back when he found out where she was living. It was as if she let him see something dirty. Like he had caught her doing something she wasn't supposed to do.

Gah! Enough with this!

"You!" she said as she grabbed the scarf thing on the front of Keima's uniform (she briefly wondered why was he still wearing it. Did he just went home and played games without changing clothes?) and pulled, bringing him closer to her.

Keima's eyes widened in mixture of shock and fear.

"W-what are you-" he started, but she cut him off.

"Listen to me" she ordered. "I don't really want to waste time thinking about this, so let's just get this over with, all right?"

"What?" he asked, now more confused than shocked. "What is this setting? Have I stumbled upon a new crappy game?"

Something about his comment made Mio crack a nasty smile.

"Not exactly, but not too far off the mark either" she said, getting his attention.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I think we'll need to figure this out ourselves" Mio replied mysteriously. "I guess I'm the one taking you for a ride this time around. Here we go!" and with this she touched the orb, and even though her hand was small she still felt his palm brush against hers.

She wanted to look at the orb (just curious, it's not because of their hands touching!), but she found out that she couldn't. She couldn't move and her body seemed to cease to function, except her eyes and her brain.

And he feelings.

Confusion, anxiety and excitement rushed over her as she continued to look at Keima, unable to even blink. But if she thought that it would stay like that forever she was immediately proven wrong.

The brown color of Keima's eyes and hair started to seep out and invade every part of her vision. Keima was frozen in place as well, but somehow she saw surprise in his eyes, before he transformed into a big brown blotch. The blotch then started to brighten, slowly changing from brown to orange. The parts of the image became even brighter and soon she could once again see shapes. She found out that she could move again when she blinked in surprise as she saw a familiar orange object.

In her hands there was an unwrapped omelet-soba bread.

What was happening?

"Aoyama-san?" a voice interrupted her thoughts. And it certainly didn't sound like Katsuragi's voice. Mio turned around only to see Tsukiyo Kujō sitting next to her. Mio looked around, only to see she was in school... but a second ago she was in her own apartment!

"What's going on?" she asked out loud.

Tsukiyo furrowed her brow in apparent worry.

"That's what I want to know" she replied. "After we talked I went to see Shiori and when I got back you were still sitting here as in a daze. And you were looking at the bread in your hands. Are you alright?"

Mio realized how she must've looked – just sitting there, staring dumbly into space. She knew it wasn't her fault and she knew Tsukiyo was kinda her friend now, so Mio didn't have to pretend and feel embarrassed. But her cheeks still colored red.

"M-me? Of course I'm alright!" Mio replied, shredding the wrapping to shreds and biting off a chunk off bread literally too large to swallow.

Fortunately, the school bell rang, saving her from further humiliation.

Tsukiyo sighed and headed for the nearest stairs. "School might be more bearable for me now, but it's still troublesome" she murmured before stopping and turning around. "Aoyama-san? You're not going?"

"What day?"

"Huh?"

"What day of the week is today?" Mio clarified.

"Umm... Thursday?" Tsukiyo replied.

"Did you give me anything today besides this?" Mio lifted her half-eaten sandwich.

"Besides the bread? No..." Tsukiyo was now really worried about her classmate's health. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'n vhine, ledz bo!" Mio said, her mouth full of bread as she stood up.

Well, at least now I know it worked, Mio thought before marching off to her class with Tsukiyo following her with puzzled expression on her face.

 **(* * *)**

 **Okay, that's it – the prologue to MioNomi!**

 **Actually, the real MioNomi here is only the last ~350 words or so. Similarly, in the last chapter of AyumiNomi only the first 1500 words was actually the epilogue... meaning that connecting those two stories used waaaay more words then planned. Part of this was orb explanation though, so future "interludes" should be much shorter.**

 **Also, I need to figure major plot details for MioNomi, so the second chapter actually might not appear for two weeks. Hopefully, it'll be easier after that.**

 **I don't really have anything more to say at the moment, except that I once again encourage you to leave a review.**

 **See you next time!**


	2. Flag 42: Get-together

**Hello, everyone! I'm back!**

 **I hope that the this chapter will make up for the two-week absence.**

 **There's one thing to discuss concerning the updates. I still plan to follow "12 chapters in 12 weeks" sort of schedule. The thing is, I probably won't be posting chapters each week. This is because I don't have any further chapters ready and I would want to avoid plot holes, so I prefer to not post, say, flag 43 when flags 44 and 45 have not progressed enough. In other words, it may happen that I will stay quiet for 3 weeks and then post more than one chapter "at once".**

 **Here I would like to thank you for the first batch of support for this story. Every fav, follow and review counts and helps me go on and writer more. As usual, I would like to reply to reviews to the previous chapter:**

 **Gonzalorp94:** Mio is not obvious character and it seems harder to pinpoint how she would act, but I will try to keep her in character. And I'm not sure about her "not being happy about the orb" thing. :)

 **Sound Dash E.V:** Yes, it begins. :) Unfortunately, no, I haven't seen Sora no Otoshimono, so I can't really answer that question. And I usually don't read crossovers, as it is difficult to find a crossover of two series that I like that would not get blown out of proportions. Anyway, I don't know how often will Tsukiyo appear in this story, but you can expect her and Mio to start getting along.

 **Sir sleeps-a-lot:** well, the lack of canon content can be a blessing sometimes – it means that I both: don't have to reference a bunch of things and I can steer the story how I please. At times I think even Wakaki himself made it seem strange, like when Mio says "you're Yui?" despite them being classmates. But, yes, in this story you can expect Yui and Tsukiyo to appear rather than Ayumi and Chihiro etc. And there will be dancing, of course. I'm just not sure how much and when. As for the class assignment thing. We see that ojōsamas are all in class 2-A... except I put Urara in class 2-C -.-'. And Shiori reading a lot doesn't necessarily mean she has good grades. She might even neglect studying in favor of reading or something like that. Anyway, it may be that classes (and classmates) are changed each year, but I prefer to have the same people in the same class every year... thus, it is tempting for me to assume that the class placement is simply due to entrance exams scores or... tuition fee (since Mai High is a private school) or both. As for the number of classes, there is D as well. However, there is another problem. 4 classes per year times 3 years times 2 schools (high and middle) yields us 24 classes. Each class has 30 students tops, so it gives us no more than 720 students... while Keima claims the school has some 1200 students... o.O

 **ZelgadisGW:** I wonder that too. And I'm struggling with how to portrait Yui correctly... for now she seems like a convenient way to annoy Mio. :) As for this fic being shorter... let's hope for it.

 **Shawn Raven:** Um... Yui was backing Mio prior to using the orb, but now... I wouldn't be so sure about that. :) Oh, and I hope your exams went well. :)

 **NotAnAuthor504:** Thank you. I'll do my best.

 **DPSS:** You are partially right and I struggled for a while with how to do this. However, sticking the "interlude" here would be confusing for those who didn't read AyumiNomi (are there such people?). The "ideal" solution would be to put interlude as a standalone story... but that seems to be on overkill (especially since we would have to do it after each story). That way I at least managed to give Ayumi closure in her story instead of writing about it here, but I admit it's not perfect.

 **anonimo 0:** I don't get the first part of your review. Do you mean Keima calling the girls by their names (first name? last name?) or girls calling Keima (once again, first name? last name?). From what I see, Keima calls girls as he called them in the manga (where he uses first names, even for Kusunoki). The girls call Keima in various ways. Tsukiyo uses "Keima", Yui uses "Keima-kun", Shiori uses "Katsuragi-kun" and Mio uses "Katsuragi", so I stick to that in my stories. At least most of the time.

 **Okay, that's it for the replies. As for the replies to AyumiNomi – I'll probably do them during the weekend, put them at the end of AyumiNomi and mark the story as complete.**

 **Okay, I think that's it for now.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

 **(* * *)**

It was well past midnight and the night sky was relatively clear, the winter moon was shining brightly, unhindered by the clouds, as if silently looking after all the people sleeping soundly inside of their homes. However, there was one person that was outside of the moon's single watchful eye. The reason was simple – the person wasn't sleeping.

And that person was Mio Aoyama.

The girl in question turned in her futon, but she wasn't trying to get comfortable. I mean, her bedding wasn't a four poster bed in a five-star hotel, but that wasn't the problem. And it's not like some noise disrupted her rest.

Well, Mio _did_ exaggerate when she used the phrase "her room" before – she didn't really have a private room for herself. In this small apartment there was only the main room, a bathroom and a single bedroom which Mio shared with her mother, who was now sleeping in a futon next to Mio's.

And her mother didn't snore and the wind was not whistling and blowing loudly tonight. And it wasn't as if Mio got insomnia or anything like that.

No, it was just that it was Saturday, meaning that Mio didn't have to work that much today and she didn't have to wake up early tomorrow either. This made it a perfect opportunity to do some thinking.

And she desperately needed to think about her and... well... Katsuragi.

Mio was kinda stubborn and didn't yield easily. She was mindful of the need to, more or less, maintain appearances in public. Yes, she sometimes wasn't completely honest with other people, so, for the sake of her reputation and pride, she was willing to act haughty and hide things. And she was prideful and haughty individual – it wasn't as if she couldn't see this. It's just that she had always thought that she deserved it. She was a daughter of a president of Aoyama Central Industries. Years ago it would've been probably called a zaibatsu.

If her father was alive that is.

Well, that wasn't the point now, Mio turned around in her futon again, the point was that she might be stubborn, arrogant and keeping people at bay. She might be ignorant, offensive and even intolerable.

She might be happy that she's like that. She might be ashamed she's like that. She might not be exactly ready to admit she's like that.

But she was like that.

There was one thing, however, that Mio Aoyama was not.

She was not stupid.

She wasn't deluding herself or lying to herself. Yes, she was sometimes preferring to ignore the issue rather than have to deal with it at the moment, but that doesn't mean she remains ignorant of the true nature of the problem.

Mio sighed, reminiscing the day of the 63rd Flower Banquet – the day when Katsuragi had conquered her. Yes, she didn't have any doubts about this – on that day the boy who was acting as her substitute chauffeur had broken the chains of the past that were holding her back. He had obliterated the phony gold walls that Mio had craftily built around her.

And, most important of all, he had shattered the armor that guarded her inaccessible, but pure heart.

Of course, Mio wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she knew that in that moment Katsuragi had won thoroughly – the moment he claimed her lips with his she was his.

Or would've been if this Cinderella story was real.

But it wasn't.

Katsuragi was no chauffeur and wasn't in love with her back then and now Mio knew this. She understood why he had to do that and, while she shunned his gaming habits, she was still impressed with his overall ability.

After all, he had managed to make her fall in love with him, which was an incredible feat, even if he had been acting – he was a far better actor than she was anyway.

Mio turned yet again, this time facing the gray, neglected and _common_ ceiling, before closing her eyes and remembering the events from the last few days, the faces and voices of Kanon Nakagawa and Tsukiyo Kujō invading her mind.

 _You shouldn't lie to yourself._

 _It will go a lot easier if you'll just be honest with yourself._

Mio huffed quietly. Those people! Who do they take her for? Lying to herself? Just be honest with yourself?

She knew that already!

She knew that her savior wasn't really a charming gentleman, but a galge-obsessed gamer that didn't have feelings for her.

And Mio was one-hundred percent certain that she didn't love Keima Katsuragi either. Well, it's not like Mio was experienced in love, but she didn't swoon or fawn over him. It wasn't like she was head over heels in love with him and the reign he once had over her heart has dispersed and weakened...

...but it didn't disappear.

Mio snorted. She didn't need Kanon or Tsukiyo to tell her things like that! In public she had to deny this as she couldn't trust goddesses and their "soundproof space" stuff, but she was _not_ lying to herself.

Mio Aoyama knew she had feelings for Keima Katsuragi...

...and now that she arrived in this reality she had to decide what to do about those feelings.

Mio shifted, this time pressing her face into her pillow, even though at the moment no-one could spot the blush on her face, before sighing, her musings bringing her back to her two original problems.

First, how _exactly_ did she feel about Katsuragi right now? She already knew that her feelings were in the romantic category, but she couldn't for the life of her decide how does she _want_ to feel about him and what does that mean in the long run.

What did she want to achieve with the two of them?

Did she want him to grovel before her, carry and treat her like a princess and worship the very ground she walks on? Did she want him to be her loyal servant? Or did she want him to twirl her around and whisper sweet nothings into her ear?

To sum it up, Mio couldn't really pinpoint her feelings and desires. She tried to figure it out by thinking about Katsuragi, but the only feedback she's got was an increasing frustration. All of this was so unclear. Vague. Unpredictable. Uncontrollable...

She guessed it was supposed to be like that, but the lack of control worried her. Her life always had a certain order and purpose. Even if Mio herself wasn't doing much there were always others, like her father or Morita, who took care of things in her life. It didn't mean that Mio was helpless on her own. She wasn't _that_ pampered. If it weren't for her being poor she would be perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

Gah! She was getting sidetracked again! The point was that right now she kinda liked Katsuragi, but couldn't figure how much and why. And who could blame her? She never gave much thought to "love". Mostly she didn't gave much thought to "friends" either.

In the real world she turned to lie on her other side, but in her mind she faced the other problem.

This thing... whatever it was that she wanted between her and Katsuragi to happen... _how_ was she supposed to make it happen in the first place?

I mean, she wasn't dumb or delusional. She was probably sharper than most people gave her credit for, but she wasn't a genius. Could she seduce Katsuragi with her intelligence and erudition?

Hmpf, fat chance!

Then _how_ was she supposed to charm him?

She wasn't even remotely rich like Urara or Tsukiyo, so she couldn't bribe him with games (not that she would. She wasn't Yui!).

She wasn't as nice and sweet as that middle-school girl or Katsuragi's childhood friend.

She wasn't as strong or athletic like Kasuga-senpai or that runner Takahara.

She wasn't as famous as that idol Nakagawa.

She wasn't that close to Katsuragi as that Kosaka girl, that purple-haired devil, or even that quiet bookworm.

And Mio certainly wasn't as pretty as those girls.

What did she have? A few yen in her pocket and a whip? A run-down apartment and harsh words? And, possibly most important of all, petite body and flat chest?

Up till now she didn't really feel _that_ conscious about it. I mean, yeah, she hated being short, but it was because commoners were looking down on her. And some guys liked petite girls, right? And being petite meant small bust size by definition.

And the funny thing was – Katsuragi probably didn't care about such things anyway, but Mio couldn't help but feel... inadequate. Like he had no reason to give her the time of day. Like she had nothing to offer him.

She groaned into her pillow quietly when she once came to the conclusion that she had reached before.

Both her problems – figuring out her exact feelings and figuring out how to approach Katsuragi – could not be solved by just staying like this, brooding about it.

Even more, she knew what she needed to do in order to help her find answers to both her questions.

She simply needed to interact with Katsuragi and trigger what he would call events – that way she will be able to better understand him and his weaknesses.

And also her own heart.

But it was easier said than done. I mean, they weren't even in the same class! And even if they were, even with Mio no longer being known as a rich girl, her just starting to hang out with the _otamegane_ out of the blue would certainly bring more harm than good.

No, Mio needed to do it carefully. Especially, since Katsuragi was smart and just one false step on her part would be enough to let him get the wind of her plans.

And she won't be able to do it alone. Unlike Takahara, Mio didn't have close friends, especially ones that were close to Katsuragi. She wasn't friends with Katsuragi's sister.

And she certainly didn't have a goddess inside her.

Long story short – she would need some allies, Mio decided as she turned on her futon one last time. It was far off from a perfect plan, but it was all she could do for now.

Now it was time to sleep.

(* * *)

"Mio!" a soft voice invaded the sleeping girl's mind. She turned around and opened her eyes slightly and found out that Katsuragi was trying to shake her awake.

In her drowsy state Mio didn't question what Katsuragi was doing in her room. She barely even recognized him, as she squinted her eyes to shield them from the light. Besides, who else, among people Mio knew, was wearing a male Mai high uniform? Well, there was always Yui.

It was probably a dream anyway, realizing this Mio groaned and turned back and pulled the covers over her head.

"Five more minutes!" she said somewhere between request and order.

"You said that half an hour ago" the voice accused, now sounding completely different. "And it's past ten o'clock already."

Mio's eyes shot open and she turned around and blinked. It was Sunday and, unsurprisingly, the weak November sun was waging its battle against the blanket of clouds with little success. Mio was inside her apartment, which was expected as well, but the person who had woken her up was not Katsuragi or Yui.

It was her mother.

Mio's face immediately reddened once she realized she had mistaken her own parent for Katsuragi.

"Are you alright, Mio? Do you feel unwell?" Mrs. Aoyama asked, taking her flushed face as a sign of sickness and pressing her hand to the girl's forehead. "Do you need anything?"

"Yes" Mio said, backing up. "I would like to change, so a little privacy would be nice" and with that she closed the door to the small bedroom.

(* * *)

Ten minutes later Mio emerged from the small bathroom and headed for the kitchenette, intending to fix herself a breakfast.

"Your food is on the table" her mother said from where she was ironing the clothes.

"I'm capable of preparing simple food for myself, I'm not a small kid anymore, you know?" Mio asked, sounding a little bit offended. Two years ago there would be no need for her or any of her parents to prepare meals by themselves and any attempt by Mio to make breakfast on her own would be received with praise.

But now it was different. Back when Mio was still pretending her and her mother's views on their situation were... different. Mio was continuing to act rich, while her mother strained to scrape by. Now Mio knew that her previous actions were... stupid to put it mildly. Since the day of her conquest Mio finally stopped to burden their home budget and even started working part-time to help her mother.

It was the best she could do for her now.

"Yes" her mother replied. "But you're still incapable of tying your hair evenly by herself."

Mio blinked in surprise and immediately grabbed her pigtails to compare their length. It wasn't as if she was obsessively pedantic or anything, but the difference was substantial and not proper for her image. It just seemed off. And she was sure she got it right this time too!

"Do you want me or Morita to help you fix it?"

"No!" Mio replied, putting a sandwich into her mouth. "Besides, Morita is my driver, not my servant!"

"Actually, Morita is not really your driver either. And you treat him as a servant at times."

Mio ignored that remark. I mean, she was not supposed to talk with her mouth full, right?

"However, he called and said that he'll be willing to give you a lift today" Mrs. Aoyama said.

"When will he be here?" Mio asked.

"In ten minutes or so, that's why I woke you up" her mother said and Mio nodded in acknowledgement.

"But I must say that it's hard to believe" Mrs. Aoyama continued, before asking Mio directly. "Are you really sure Shiratori-san is back in country?"

"Of course, I do" the small blonde said in slight exasperation. "I've seen her with my own eyes. Repeatedly."

"So you two have met?"

"She's transferred into our school. I told you that already" Mio replied, already suspecting where this conversation was heading.

"Forgive me Mio, but you and Urara-chan haven't seen each other for a long time and-"

"And you think that she won't want to hang out with someone short, obnoxious, stingy and poor as me?"

"You know that's not what I meant" Mrs. Aoyama said in surprise.

But you should, Mio thought to herself and then took another bite before continuing. "Don't worry, mom. I believe me and Urara will get along well enough."

"If you say so" her mother said.

"Is there anything else you'd like to know?" Mio asked smiling a little, encouraged by her winning the argument.

"Actually, I do."

"Then ask away" Mio replied, while she grabbed a glass next to the plate and started gulping it down.

"Who's Katsuragi?"

Mio reacted immediately. She didn't want or simply couldn't spit out the drink, so she almost choked on it instead. She tried to pat herself on the back and after a moment she managed to regain her composure without making a sound.

Good thing her mother had hear back to her this whole time.

"Who's who?" Mio said.

"Katsuragi" her mother repeated.

"Never heard of him" Mio replied. "Must be some commoner."

"And here I thought you would know him..." her mother trailed off.

"W-why is that?" Mio asked, curious where did her mother even hear that name. "Am I supposed to know this guy?"

"I don't know" Mrs. Aoyama responded and put the iron away. "But I do know that you were saying that name in your sleep."

Mio felt her breath stop, her mouth agape, the blood in her cheeks hell-bent on proving that a person could blush and go pale at the same time.

"And" her mother's voice sounded amused. "I didn't say it was a guy" she turned around. "So he _is_ a guy!"

Mio didn't really react, her face stopped in the middle of going from 'deer caught in the headlights' to 'attempted poker face' look.

Mother was certainly _not_ someone Mio had in mind when she was thinking of "allies" last night.

Think, Mio, think.

"I talk in my sleep?" she asked, feigning offense and disbelief.

"Yes" Mrs. Aoyama replied. "Not very often, but you do. So... is he a boy from your class?"

"There is no-one named Katsuragi in my class" Mio replied, now actually thankful that the boy in question was in another class.

"So he's from another class?" her mother asked, a glint appearing in her eyes and even Mio understood what it meant.

She groaned.

"I've no idea" she lied, before deciding to say something that was both true and would make her mother stop before she thought her daughter was in love or something. "But I think he's that one infamous gaming nerd who's called the otamegane or something."

"Ah..." her mother uttered with a soft smile. "But a moment ago you said you've never heard of him" she said and added before Mio could retort. "And if he's infamous then he's not exactly a commoner, right?"

"You sound like you actually _want_ me to associate with a nerd like him!" Mio accused, as if she was the mother here.

"So you _are_ associating with him" her mother guessed, but Mio was already prepared for that.

"He once got in my way and I chased him away with my whip" she replied and it was mostly true.

"I don't recall you ever chasing someone who got in your way just once" Mrs. Aoyama noticed. "You could ignore him or ask Morita to do something, but _personally_ chase someone? That's a first" her mother put her hands on her hips. "And I didn't know you still carried that whip around."

Uh-oh.

"It's for self-defense" Mio attempted. "When Morita isn't around."

"What good is self-defense for when people don't come close to you?" her mother said a little more forceful, but who could blame her with a daughter like that? Mio certainly didn't.

You would be surprised how many people are coming close to me lately, Mio thought, but kept it to herself.

"Without the whip I would just slap people, so it's the same whether I have one or not."

"If it's the same then you wouldn't mind giving it up, right?" her mother said and Mio realized she had been driven into a corner, when she heard something. It was a small sound, but she recognized it instantly.

It was the sound of a car stopping in front of their block.

"I'm going out, I'll be back before eight. Don't worry about dinner!" Mio run out of her home in record time and, as she expected, she saw Morita half in-between his car and her apartment.

"Good morning, ojōsama" the man said, looking a little surprised when he saw Mio run out from her house. "Is something the matter?"

"I'm kinda in a hurry, so can we get going?" Mio asked, putting on her jacket.

Morita sighed. Something was certainly up, but dealing with one woman was hard enough, so he wasn't going to get involved into whatever argument the daughter and the wife of his late boss just had.

"As you wish."

(* * *)

"Can you pull over?"

Morita widened his eyes and looked into the rear mirror. But he stopped. Right behind the outer gate of the Shiratori compound.

"Is something wrong, ojōsama?" he asked.

"Nothing in particular" Mio replied, getting out of the car by herself. "Yui's and Urara's butlers are probably going to be there if you want to catch up with them, but you don't have to accompany me further. I just need you to pick me up before eight" she said when she got next to the driver's door. She thought for a moment and then added. "And there might be another person going back with us if that's okay with you."

Morita blinked.

"Well, I understand everything and all... but why are we stopping here?" he asked. "Don't you want me to drive you to the manor?"

"I feel like walking" Mio told him.

Morita was certain he misheard, but didn't say anything more. He put the car into gear and drove off. But if he _did_ hear right then there was hope.

President, please keep watching after the ojōsama!

(* * *)

Mio was lying. She didn't _feel_ like going all the way to Urara's home, especially since it was up the hill.

But she should be getting used to walking. And in normal shoes. Well, they were winter shoes and they _did_ gave her two or three additional centimeters of height, but they were pretty normal otherwise.

For the past half a year she stuck with her original boots at first, but she reconsidered when it become _really_ hot. Then she turned to a pair of more common footwear, so she could actually _walk_ to school herself. Then when November came she switched back to her boots for a while and have been fine ever since.

Until now. Her boots were not good in cold or snow, so, willy-nilly, she switched to the pair she was wearing right now. Of course, she would've liked some knee-length winter boots better, but it couldn't be helped.

She shouldn't spent her money on such boots when she was given a perfectly good pair as a gift from Morita.

Mio sighed and started walking.

(* * *)

"Aoyama-san, we're glad you're here" Yanagi greeted her when she arrived at the main building.

"Mio-san will suffice" the blonde replied... before being all but knocked over.

"Mio-chan!" Urara Shiratori said as she hugged the other girl. "You came!"

"Wha? Of course, I did! Did you expect me to get lost or something?" Mio replied, rolling her eyes. "And you can let go of me. We've seen each other two days ago, you know?"

"Yes, yes, now let's go inside" Urara said guiding Mio to the entrance.

(* * *)

Fifteen minutes later Mio was already seated near a table stuffed with things most of which were not suitable for a girl on a diet. Good think she wasn't dieting, she thought as she looked around for a moment, observing the other people gathered in Urara's room. Well, one of Urara's rooms.

The hostess herself was sitting opposite of Mio and was now smiling reminding the blonde of how Urara used to behave 10 years ago. Strangely, it didn't make her look childish, as she somehow managed to project the aura of elegance that befitted her image despite her silly antics.

The dress she was wearing certainly helped that image, but even with it Urara couldn't look as dignified and elegant as the girl sitting to Mio's right. Tsukiyo Kujō was wearing a really cute skirt and top, probably designed by her mother, while slowly sipping her tea, her trusty doll Luna on her lap. The image was perfect except for the moments when the temperature around the other blonde seemed to drop as she glanced at the last person in the room, who was sitting on Mio's left side.

And that person was Yui Goidō.

Mio was actually surprised when she learned that she had arrived first. Yui arrived five minutes later and Tsukiyo was with her. And as soon as the two of them got out of the car it became obvious that Tsukiyo was not amused.

It turned out that Yui ordered her driver Okamoto to go to the Café Grandpa and attempted to bring Keima Katsuragi here.

"Really, Yui?" Urara commented, opening a package of some strange sweets, definitely from America. "This was supposed to be a girls-only meeting."

"That's why I brought a dress for Keima-kun!" Yui explained.

"Keima is not a girl" Tsukiyo replied slowly and Mio saw her eyebrow twitch.

"But he would look _beautiful_ in that dress, you can't deny that!" Yui shot back, winking at Tsukiyo.

The moon-lover huffed and then grabbed her cup and started to drink her tea, but even with the cup covering some of her face, one could still see her going a little red at the suggestion.

Mio didn't comment. She was thinking.

So Tsukiyo was being passive, but wasn't impervious to the idea of her and Katsuragi being together. If he, for some reason, wanted to woo her, she would probably play hard to get, but let herself be courted in the end.

Yui too. Prior to Mio using the orb the drummer was (kinda) supporting Mio, but now she seemed back to her aggressive self, going for Katsuragi as if nothing special happened.

From this Mio figured that both Tsukiyo and Yui acted as if the orb never existed, except that Tsukiyo was much more passive, so she wasn't a rival.

Yui, on the other hand, was.

And now that Mio knew that she (kinda) had feelings for Katsuragi and decided to go through with this thing she felt _threatened_. She actually felt threatened by her childhood friend, who, like her, had feelings for that guy and, unlike her, was actually rich.

For a moment she considered actually _encouraging_ Yui. I mean, the more creepy and annoying the drummer gets the lower the chance Katsuragi will choose her.

Right?

"Do we really need to talk about Katsuragi-san?" Urara intervened.

"Eh? Isn't the guy we like the first topic girls talk about when in situation like this?" Yui asked.

"Then why talk about Keima?" Tsukiyo questioned. "You're the only one here that likes him."

Mio drew her breath quietly, but fortunately no-one noticed.

"Oh, please, like you don't" Yui teased back, but Tsukiyo was impassive. Yui then turned to Mio.

"Don't look at me" the taller of the blondes narrowed her eyes. "Talking about one's crush is a commoner thing, anyway."

The cross-dressed continued to stare at Mio for a second or two.

"Well, I guess it _is_ a viable topic" Urara admitted.

Yui immediately smiled slyly.

"So who do _you_ have a crush on, Urara?"

"Eeeh?!"

(* * *)

After that the meeting became much more fun and relaxing and even Tsukiyo seemed to be much more laid-back than usual, especially when Urara showed Tsukiyo her old books pertaining to astronomy and extraterrestrial life.

The four of them continued to talk and gossip. At one point the old man Shiratori entertained them with some of the stories from his youth and several legends about Maijima.

After that they put on their clothes and went outside, Urara showing them around the compound. They made a trip to the graves of Urara's parents and paid their respects before enjoying the panorama of Maijima. After that they stopped at the pond where Mio and Yui competed at skipping stones.

It soon began to get darker and then Urara led them to the more secluded part of the estate when another, unusually shaped building stood. If Mio had any doubts that Tsukiyo was going to mingle with Urara then they were all dispelled the moment the moon-lover saw the small observatory built among the tress.

"This is great!" Tsukiyo remarked, probably not even trying to hide her excitement as she looked through the telescope that was several times bigger then her. "This is much better than my portable telescope."

"You call that portable?" Mio said, remembering the size of Tsukiyo's new telescope.

"Did you built this after you meet Keima?" Tsukiyo asked Urara, who was beaming.

"Not really" the young Shiratori replied. "It was built before I was born. I just kept it in shape since elementary school."

Tsukiyo nodded. "And we even have a clear sky tonight."

"Tonight? It's not even four o'clock, you know?" Yui reminded her.

"Don't bother" Mio remarked. "I doubt she can even hear us."

"You've got a point there..."

Half an hour later they moved into the tea room and even by then Tsukiyo had trouble staying calm, eyes sparkling as she spoke about moon, stars and other celestial bodies.

(* * *)

"Man, this sure feels good" Yui remarked as she sunk deeper, letting the water reach up to her neck. Shiratoris' bath was even larger than the one in Goidō manor.

"It sure does" Urara admitted, her eyes closed before she smirked... and started splashing Yui.

"Oh, now you've done it" Yui shot back and soon the two girls were laughing as they were prancing in a completely unladylike fashion until they heard the door to the to the bath open and in walked Mio. Her hair was released from her usual twin-tails and was freely cascading down her back.

But the hair was not what caused Yui and Urara to look at her curiously.

"W-what?" the blonde asked when she noticed the glances directed at her.

"Why are you wearing a towel in the bath?" Urara asked back.

Mio just shook her head and entered the water.

"She must be conscious about her b-" Yui was cut off when Mio splashed water on her with a kick.

"Shut up!" she said and sat down, trying to relax.

"Oh, c'mon girl, you're beautiful! You have nothing to be ashamed off and-" Yui once again was interrupted, when her head ended up in the water, turning her speech into a series of gurgles. She then surfaced and spurted water around before turning to see...

"Tsukiyo!" she complained. "That was not cool!"

"I disagree... Nice one" Mio praised.

"Thank you" Tsukiyo replied acting as if she didn't submerge Yui just now. She was using a towel as well.

"For you to sneak on me like that. I didn't even notice you get in" Yui remarked.

"I am not _that_ small" Tsukiyo replied and lunged at Yui. The drummer didn't expect her to attack, but she still intercepted it... when Mio jumped at her back.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Yui complained.

"See if we care" Tsukiyo drawled out. "Have some of your own medicine!"

"That's cold!" Yui remarked, trying to fight both girls at once.

"Revenge is a dish best served cold!" Mio countered. "Victory is ours!"

"Oh no it's not!" Yui's hair suddenly changed to blonde as Mars took over her host. "I'll punish you-ugh!" she was cut off when a wall of water fell on her courtesy of Luna.

"If you want to involve a goddess, then I'll be happy to get involved as well" Vulcan warned and the effect was immediate.

"That's sexual harassment!" Yui cried out once Mars had retreated and both blondes were all over her.

"That's a pot calling kettle black!" Mio accused.

"Urara-chan! Help me!" Yui pleaded.

But the Shiratori heiress didn't move, sipping tea from cup she got from God knows where.

"Aah... such a nice afternoon..." she said in thought.

(* * *)

After they were finished with the bath Urara offered to tie Mio's pigtails for her and then she invited everyone for dinner and Mio had to admit – it was a long time since she saw _that_ much food in one place.

Yui had calmed down somewhat and both blondes returned to their usual behavior. In result, the atmosphere at the table was quiet and distinguished, proving that the four girls in question were indeed ojōsamas.

It was half to seven when Yui's phone started ringing.

"Yes?" the drummer answered the call with a smile, but then her smile disappeared. "Mother? Um... No I didn't! Wha? Ugh! Yes, yes, I got it!" she finished her call. "I'm sorry, ladies, but it seems I'll have to get going... like now."

"What happened?" Urara asked.

"Ah... I was kinda supposed to be at my tutor's place at this time... hahaha" Yui explained, while scratching her head.

"Tutor?" Urara repeated. "On Sunday?"

"Well... it's part of the agreement with my mother" Yui admitted.

"Wait" Tsukiyo stood up. "In that case I need to go as well! I won't be going back to my house on foot!"

"Don't worry about that" Mio said, calmly cutting the lamb cutlet on her plate. "I predicted it. You can go back with me."

"Oh... well... thank you" Tsukiyo replied, sitting down again.

"I'm going then" Yui said. "See you tomorrow at school!"

And with that Mio was left alone with Urara and Tsukiyo. This was the perfect chance to put the general draft she called a plan into motion.

"Yui should take a break or her mother is going to send her to a nunnery for real this time" Tsukiyo commented, while eyeing a slice of cake that was looking delicious, beautiful and caloric.

"She can act a little strange, but you can't blame her" Urara took a bite of her cake as well and swallowed before continuing. "Her mother actually reaps what she sow, right Mio-chan?"

Mio didn't reply, looking at her lap. This didn't go unnoticed by the other two girls.

"Are you all right?" Tsukiyo asked.

"Yes... kinda" Mio lifted her head and bit her lip. "Actually... I wanted to talk to you about something..."

"Really? Why didn't you say anything sooner while Yui was here?" Urara questioned.

"Because I don't want Yui to know about this" Mio replied. "I need you to promise me you won't tell her anything."

"Why would you..." Urara started. "Unless..."

"It's about Katsuragi" Mio confirmed her suspicion.

"Did something happen?" Tsukiyo asked, obviously concerned.

"Nothing happened... it's just that-"

"You have a crush on him!" Urara exclaimed. "I knew it!"

"No, it's not like that!" Mio defended, standing up. "I-I mean it's not exactly like that!"

"What do you mean?" Tsukiyo asked.

"Ugh... I think I _might_ be interested in him" Mio explained, her face becoming red.

"You... might be interested in him?" the other blonde repeated, clearly surprised.

"Hold on" Urara stopped Tsukiyo. "Before that, why are you telling us this?"

"Um... I kinda want to ask you for help..."

"I don't know what's more surprising" Urara said after a few moments of silence. "You having a crush on Katsuragi or you asking for help."

"I don't have a crush-ugh! I shouldn't have said it, after all!" Mio sat down, hiding her face in her hands.

"Keima has a girlfriend, you know?" Tsukiyo remarked, getting the attention of both Mio and Urara.

"WHAT?!" the two girls shouted.

"You didn't know?" Tsukiyo asked, looking surprised.

"What do you-who is it?" Mio asked, hands slammed on the table.

"Kosaka-san, of course. Keima asked her out a few days ago" Tsukiyo explained. "They tried to keep it a secret, but I heard they went on a date. Apparently, Kosaka-san managed to talk Keima into going to karaoke. And they went dancing" she paused for a moment. "Yui doesn't intend to give up, of course."

Mio stopped listening at this point, her mind racing. Katsuragi and Kosaka were dating? How was that _possible_? I mean, this was supposed to be _her_ world. Why was this happening?

Her doubt quickly turned to anger.

"That commoner! How dare he!" Mio shouted, pacing around the room, not caring who heard her. "I seriously considered thinking about giving him the privilege of being my boyfriend and _this_ is what happens?!"

"Um... Mio-chan... you should calm down" Urara also stood up.

But Mio wasn't listening and she shook her head instead.

"No! That's not true! That's impossible!" she said and walked past Urara only to grab Tsukiyo's shoulders.

"Are you really, really, reaaallyy sure that Katsuragi is dating her?" Mio asked the other blonde, her lower lip trembling.

"No" Tsukiyo replied. "Actually... they aren't dating."

"H-huh?" Mio mumbled out. "B-but you just said that-"

"I made that up" Tsukiyo admitted.

"W-what?" Mio stuttered, before her eyes widened. "WHAT?! What do you mean you made it up?"

"I mean exactly what I said."

Mio's face was red from anger, then it turned pink from embarrassment only to become pale-white in the end.

"That was uncalled for, Tsukiyo-san!" Urara scolded a moment later while she tried to comfort Mio, who was sitting on her chair, hugging the backrest and looking depressed.

Tsukiyo shrugged. "I know and I'm not asking for forgiveness. It wasn't proper, polite or beautiful, I admit" she said. "But it served its purpose."

"What purpose? Getting Mio-chan depressed?" Urara asked, the aggressiveness she had as a child showing.

"Quite the opposite" Tsukiyo replied. "Aoyama-san wanted my help, so I helped her."

"How is _that_ helping?" Urara asked.

"She didn't know whether she liked Keima or not, so I helped her answer that."

At this Mio lifted her head and turned to look at the other blonde.

"What? You mean..."

"When I told you that Keima might have a girlfriend you became sad, angry and jealous."

"I'm not jealous!" Mio rebutted, before turning to Urara. "You tell her!"

But Urara put her hand to her chin instead.

"I see..." she mumbled. "So it's official then – you have a crush on Katsuragi-san."

Mio opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"And don't worry, I won't tell Yui" Urara continued. "How about you, Tsukiyo-san?"

"Well, I'm the host of the goddess of justice and fairness" Tsukiyo remarked. "And Yui already has enough advantage as it is. I think it's only fair that we help Aoyama-san. So I won't tell either."

Mio wouldn't exactly call Vulcan "fair and just", but she didn't say it.

"However, I should give you a warning" Tsukiyo resumed after a moment. "Keima is a game-obsessed, eccentric, cold and insensitive man. I definitely can't recommend him as a lover."

Urara blinked. "Weren't you in love with him too?"

"T-that was before!" Tsukiyo said and snatched the slice of cake she was eyeing earlier, probably to hide her embarrassment. "Before I knew the real Keima... before I learned everything."

"So you're going to... help me?" Mio asked.

Tsukiyo nodded and Mio could swear she saw her doll move slightly as if wanting to object. Urara was less subtle though.

"Of course we are!" she saluted at Mio, before faltering. "But I don't know what do you expect us to do..."

"W-well... I need some way or excuse to get closer to Katsuragi... and I need to figure how I really feel about him."

"Didn't we just confirm you like him?" Tsukiyo reminded her.

"It's not that simple" Mio rebutted.

"Well, I think you should approach him determinedly and decisively" Urara said with her finger raised to the ceiling. "Deliver the first punch!"

Both Mio and Tsukiyo looked at her, surprised.

"W-well, didn't Katsuragi-san said it himself? That offensive types are weak against attack?" Urara explained. "A preemptive strike is a strong move against tsunderes."

"The problem is that I'm the one trying to... ugh... conquer _him_ this time around, so me being tsundere is not an issue here!" Mio said.

Urara shook her head.

"I'm not saying you are tsundere" she explained. "I'm saying _he_ is tsundere."

The two blondes blinked and looked at Urara.

"Excuse me?" Tsukiyo mumbled.

"You can't be serious" Mio added.

"But it fits!" Urara insisted. "Katsuragi-san was really insensitive when he made a contract with New Hell, but he has changed over time. Isn't that similar to how tsundere characters develop?"

"Now that you mention it" Tsukiyo said in thought.

"He was always weak when Yui, Herminium-san and Takahara-san started being aggressive. When not pretending he's prone to outburst" Urara counted with her fingers. "And, let's face it, no-one can ever tell what he's _really_ thinking. Even our memories mostly pertain to when he was in his conquest mode. He might now look like he usually does, but the change on the inside might be bigger than we think."

"You seem strangely knowledgeable about Keima" Tsukiyo noticed, but Urara just shrugged.

"I was thinking about helping Katsuragi-san with getting more in touch with the reality anyway" she explained in a nonchalant way before smiling like a happy matchmaker. "Now... let's think how we're going to get him and Mio-chan together."

(* * *)

Ten to eight Mio was in Morita's car again, heading home. Her driver was certainly surprised by the presence of another person on the back seat, but he tried no to show it.

Finally, ojōsama started making friends! Even if her friend was quiet short and blonde girl like Mio herself.

Except this new girl seemed more polite... but also more... reserved?

Morita pulled over, got out of the car and proceeded to open the door for their guest.

"We're here, ojōsama" he announced, but then realized what he said and looked at Mio in fear, but the girl didn't glare at him at all.

Tsukiyo nodded her head and got out of the car. She walked past Morita and he could once again feel the slight aura of chill and distrust this new girl seemed to radiate.

"Thank you" Tsukiyo said and started walking away when she heard a voice.

"I'm the one who should be thanking you" Tsukiyo turned only to see Mio, who got out of the car by herself and was standing next to her. "So thank you."

"Don't mention it, Aoyama-san" Tsukiyo replied.

"It's Mio" the girl said, extending her hand towards Tsukiyo. The other blonde blinked and was quiet for a moment, before taking the offered hand.

"Tsukiyo" she said in response and then raised her doll. "And this is my friend, Luna."

Mio never thought she would be shaking the hand of a doll. Especially, since Luna extended her hand by herself. Good thing inside this world Vulcan wasn't angry with her.

(* * *)

"Thank you for your good work today, ojōsama" Morita said once they were back in front of Mio's apartment.

"Uh-huh" Mio replied, lost in her own thoughts.

"And good luck" at this Mio turned around in surprise, but Morita was already driving away.

Good luck? What did he mean by that? Mio asked herself as she entered her apartment.

"I'm home!" Mio announced.

"Welcome home" her mother replied. "How did it go?"

"It was fine. Urara invited us to both bath and dinner. And I'm kinda tired, so I think I'll retire for the night right away."

"Oh no, you don't" Mrs. Aoyama replied, motioning for Mio to sit down. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Mio asked.

"I remembered Morita once saying something, so I called him to confirm it."

"Confirm what?"

"Morita said he clearly remembers you being _very_ interested in one of the students from your school."

Mio felt her mouth part by itself. That Morita! So that's why he meant by "good luck"!

"He-he did?" Mio tried to play dumb.

"Yes, he said it was a boy wearing glasses. A handsome boy wearing glasses."

"Katsuragi's not handsome, he's creepy!" Mio defended.

"So it _was_ Katsuragi" Mrs. Aoyama said and Mio groaned. "Morita also said you were blushing when you saw him."

"It's not like that!" Mio defended, but was running out of arguments. "I just felt like whipping him!"

"And why would you want to do that?" Mrs. Aoyama questioned, a smile on her face. "Admit it Mio, you like him."

"Where did that come from?" Mio asked, desperately trying to steer the conversation out of those dangerous waters.

"Do you know him?" her mother asked.

"Yes, I met him before" Mio admitted. "Are you happy now?"

"Do you love him?"

"No!"

"Do you like him?"

Mio opened her mouth to deny, but no words came.

"So you do" her mother remarked. "How about you invite him over for dinner sometime?"

She said it with a smile, but to her surprise Mio hid her head in her hands.

"What's wrong, my dear?" her mother asked. "It's great news! You finally found someone you like! "

"It's not that simple" Mio mumbled.

"How so? Mio, my dear, if you would just tell me-"

"No!" Mio stood up pointing her finger at her mother. "When I need help with my love life I'll ask for it!" she said.

"But you never ask people for help. You either demand things or do them yourself, like for the past months" her mother noticed. "There are things you won't be able to do by yourself."

"I'm not doing it by myself!" Mio said back, before she realized she might've said too much. Her mother doesn't need to know about Urara and Tsukiyo helping her. "A-anyway, this conversation is over. I'm going to bed."

Mrs. Aoyama watched her daughter walk away and close the door to the bedroom and then she sighed.

That daughter of hers was still such a spitfire... and Mrs. Aoyama herself was so busy with her job and housework that she barely had the time to watch over her daughter. Thus, she trusted Morita to help Mio adjust to the life of a commoner.

Of course, Mrs. Aoyama would love to see her daughter with some man that would actually make her happy – this way Mio could finally find respite and motivation she needs to change. Strangely, enough, Mio did change some half a year ago. And she changed overnight.

Literally.

Anyway, Mio being happy was one thing, but Mrs. Aoyama was a women herself and wasn't naïve. Her family was wealthy until recently, so she needed to make sure that Katsuragi boy was trustworthy, before letting him date her daughter.

She should probably ask Morita to make arrangements, so she could meet the boy.

(* * *)

On to the other side of the door the younger Aoyama sighed as well before heading for her closet and changing into her pajamas, the events of the day suddenly weighing down on her.

Her and Katsuragi. Just this was enough to make this complicated. And now she had to deal with Yui and her own mother as well. This certainly won't be a walk in the park.

Ugh... it was all Katsuragi's fault, she thought in frustration as she plopped on her bed. Couldn't he just fall in love with her and proceed to court her, dispelling her doubts? Mio knew he was damn well capable of doing so if he wanted. Then she could magnanimously accept his offer and then he could start making her happy. But no! Katsuragi will probably make it difficult for her. I mean, she knew it couldn't be too easy. No pain, no gain and all that, but this... this just seemed impossible considering the way Mio was now.

If this was to work then she would need something. Something that would help her get closer to Katsuragi. She just hoped she will be able to find it soon, before Yui or her mother blow her cover.

Prepare yourself, Katsuragi, she thought one more time before she drifted off to sleep.

At this moment in a certain home certain distance away a certain boy stopped dead in his tracks and then proceeded to look around, searching for the ominous presence that dared enter the God's domain. But he saw nothing.

He shrugged. No matter what it was, it was not worth the attention of the God of Conquest. With this the boy resumed his previous task – the multiple afterimages of his hands rising and falling, tapping the buttons with amazing accuracy as he followed yet another route.

Or six of them.

 **(* * *)**

 **Whew... this took a lot of time to write. And it wasn't supposed to be this long! 4000 or 5000 words... not 7800! -.-'**

 **Anyway,**

 **As you can see, I put Keima at the end of the chapter. Quoting Wakaki Tamiki: "popularity is going to drop if the protagonist doesn't appear, you know..." Well, Mio's the main protagonist here, but still...**

 **Anyway, this chapter wasn't as... "active" as I originally wanted it to be. It's mostly talking and thinking and Mio is still trying to find her bearings in this new situation.**

 **I hope that you liked the interactions between our four resident ojōsamas. And a word about Yui and Tsukiyo. I tried to keep them in character, but I'm not sure about the final effect. This goes for Yui especially – I still have trouble describing her and she mostly comes across as too creepy or too pushy.  
**

 **Next thing, ZelgadisGW raised an interesting point – whether to assume the omakes from manga to be canon or not. I personally always treated them as canon, since it gives me more content to work with. :) And they usually don't conflict with anything in canon (except the relationship between the Jupiter Sisters, for example). Why am I talking about this? Because the fact that Morita "knows" Katsuragi is taken from Mio's omake early in the manga. Just so you know.  
**

 **Speaking of omakes... it's been some time since we had any pokemakes... unfortunately, I don't have one prepared right now, but I'll try to make one for the next chapter.**

 **If you're wondering how does Mio look in the bath with her hair down then take a look at "Koishite?! Kami-sama!" ("Make Love, God!") which is recognized as a pilot to The World God Only Knows and sometimes listed as "chapter 0" of TWGOK. You want page 34. Our Mio is the same... except less smiley, less busted and wrapping the towel around her body.  
**

 **Oh... today's reference is brought to you by Luke Skywalker. Search your feelings... you know it to be true. :)  
**

 **That's it for today, I guess. As usual, I kindly ask you to drop me a review, favorite and follow this story.**

 **See you next time!**


	3. Flag 43: Super glue

**Hello, everyone! I'm back with another chapter.**

 **The good news is that this chapter is quite long (6300 words) and I have 4000 words of the next chapter ready already :). The not-as-good news is that I still have not enough writing time. Moreover, the plot is not unfolding as fast as I wanted. We will see.**

 **As usual, I want to thank you for support – 7 reviews per chapter are quite satisfying. Anyway, here are the replies:**

 **ZelgadisGW:** Glad you liked Mio's mom, even though we still know little about her. And you reminded me of something... but we'll get back to it. As for Mio being rude towards her mother... It's a defense mechanism I guess. And it kinda shows that Mio actually cares. And yes, Tsukiyo did score a critical hit! :)

 **DarkBladerZX:** Thank you. I hope you'll like this one as well.

 **NotAnAuthor504:** I'm glad my portrayal of Mio was to your liking. Well, as for Mio's mother, don't forget to read the author's notes at the end of the chapter. There might be something interesting. :) Oh, and I don't really like the idea of Mio being a hardcore sadist. Maybe she's a "softcore" one?

 **Gonzalorp94:** No problem. Well, I can't really say that Mio isn't grumpy, at least sometimes. But then again, Keima's like that too. As for the dining thing, it would be difficult to do such a thing right now, but I'll try to do it someday.

 **Shawn Raven:** Hm... tsundere conquering a tsundere... this might not be easy after all. :) As for the last part of your review... it's a valid question. I had to think about for some time, but Mio does have some things that could aid her in her quest. We'll get there.

 **Axton6310:** Hello to you too. And thank you. :)

 **Sasori69:** Man... don't I know that... But I'll do my best. :)

 **Okay, that's for the replies. There are no other announcements pending for now, so let's get to it!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

The alarm clock started ringing loudly and Mio responded with a groan. Nonetheless, she got up and headed for the bathroom. She washed, fixed her hair, ate breakfast and changed into her school uniform. Finally, she wore her jacket and put on her boots before walking out of her apartment and closing it. She turned around to face the street and sighed.

The first snow has arrived.

Mio started her march to school, being careful not to slip. She didn't really like winter. The days were getting shorter and it was usually dark when Mio left her home and when she got back. And it was getting really cold with capricious wind to boot, as if mother nature wanted to take revenge for the gentle and warm November.

In short, Mio would've really preferred to be driven to school. At least during winter. But there was nothing she could do about it, so she just walked forward, because that was what she was supposed to be doing after she had accepted her father's death.

She was supposed to let go of the past and walk forward through her own life.

Finally, Mio entered the warm high school building and headed to leave her jacket. And change her shoes. She smiled as she put on her trademark orange boots and then walked to class.

After her conquest Mio stopped pretending she was rich, but she didn't tell people she was poor either. Yui of course knew without Mio ever needing to say anything. However, the common students didn't seem to notice much of a difference. Maybe this was because Mio didn't participate and socialize with the regular students and usually left the school quickly, heading for her part-time job.

In result, other students still whispered when they saw her, acting more or less as if she was still a celebrity. And the most attention came from the boys of course – Mio could see their glances and hear the hushed comments.

Those commoners... did they think she didn't _hear_ what they were talking about? And people say she's tsundere? Hmpf! If she was like that she would give a piece of her mind to all of them. But she didn't. Those guys could just stay there and stare at her all day long for what she cared. They weren't worth her time.

One particular boy, however, was a completely different story. Mio stayed vigilant – just as she did for several days now – observing her surroundings, to make sure she spotted Katsuragi if he was walking through the corridors. Well, it's not like she was planning anything. She just preferred to keep her options open. If she spotted him early she could ready herself in case she needed to avoid him or something like that.

Mio arrived at her classroom without incident. She walked past Yui, patting the relaxed tomboy on her back, and greeted Tsukiyo with a nod which the other blonde returned.

What followed were the usual boring classes. If I had more money on me and didn't care about my reputation, I would get myself one of those gaming consoles Katsuragi uses, Mio thought. Dating sims were out of the question, of course, but she could bet at least some games were more interesting than the lesson.

Finally, the bell for the lunch break rang. Yui immediately was up and out of the classroom before – no doubt going to pester Katsuragi.

"Mio" a soft voice came from behind. Mio turned around and saw Tsukiyo walking up to her.

"We'll be holding a meeting now" the moon-lover announced. "Will you join us?"

"Yeah" Mio replied. "I'll be there in a minute. Just let me get our lunch."

(* * *)

Of course, it took more than a minute, but Mio finally reached the third floor and knocked on the door.

"Come in" the voice from inside called.

And with this Mio entered the astronomy clubroom.

Inside was no-one else, but the current president of the club – Tsukiyo Kujō herself – sitting by the table with the tea served already. Next to her there was a small chair which was occupied by Luna. Mio walked up to the table, put a bunch of omelet-soba sandwiches on it and sat down on the third chair.

"Ah, it's good you're here, Mio-chan. Now we can start" the person sitting on the last chair said with a smile. This person was Urara Shiratori. The heir of the Shiratori household, the student of the Maijima Private High School...

...and now officially the second member of the astronomy club, serving as the vice-president of course. It wasn't even two weeks, but Mio already felt that the club activities were divided between actual astronomy and astrobiology. When Mio asked Urara whether she still believed in extraterrestrial life the Shiratori lady shrugged and said that "if there are devils and goddesses then aliens are likely to exist as well".

Mio didn't argue.

However, the meeting that was held right now wasn't related to star-gazing or aliens at all...

...unless you really count Katsuragi as an alien.

"So, any new ideas?" Mio asked bluntly, the lunch break would not last forever, after all.

"Before that I think we should rethink some of our previous ideas" Urara suggested.

Mio groaned. "We've already talked about it."

"But you yourself said you needed to interact with Katsuragi-san!" Urara objected.

"For now I need a plan" Mio clarified. "I'm not going to just start talking to him right away. Besides, I think Katsuragi could use some break."

"I concur" Tsukiyo spoke for the first time since Mio entered the room. "Keima himself said you need to act after you carefully planned and calculated your... actions."

Urara looked at both girls. "I still think you're making a mistake" she commented.

Mio shrugged. "So did you learn anything new?" she asked.

"Well, I used the excuse of having Katsuragi-san help me with me studies" Urara gave them a sly smile as if she performed some difficult spy maneuver. "And I talked with Takahara-san and Kosaka-san."

"And?" Mio asked impatiently.

"It seems Yui has become quite active" Urara reported. "But I don't really know why. Wouldn't going slow about it be better?" she asked.

"She probably fears the competition from Takahara-san and Kosaka-san" Tsukiyo noted. "She's just seizing every opportunity she gets and does how she pleases."

"And that's why I told Mio-chan she should do so as well!"

Mio huffed. "I can't and I don't want to do it like Yui does. Besides, I wouldn't be able to beat Yui at her own game" she paused for a moment before asking. "So... what does Yui do?"

"The usual – she uses physical contact, tries to bring him food, shows-off when she sees him during their band practice. Things like that" Urara paused as well, as if hesitant to say more. "She also tries to have a date with him" she finally said.

"Do explain" Mio said, striving to a calm expression.

"Well, she tries to meet Katsuragi-san by 'accident' or go out with him when she is with 2-B pencils. Apparently, it counts as a date for her too."

"She's acting as if she didn't have an ounce of shame. There is no beauty to her actions" Tsukiyo summed up while sipping her tea. "But I have to admit that this probably did more damage than we think. If this goes on long enough even Keima will yield."

"You think Yui-chan can make Katsuragi-san fall in love with her?" Urara asked.

"I don't know" Tsukiyo said with an almost imperceptible shrug. "But after a few years he might marry her as long as he can play his games."

"Yui-chan knows that games are a risky strategy. She tried it once before" Urara reminded her. "Once bitten, twice shy, you know?"

"Okay, enough about Yui" Mio said, mindful of the time. "What about Katsuragi? Anything there?"

At this Urara sighed. "The best suggestion I have for now didn't change – you should have Katsuragi-san tutor you."

"This again" Mio mumbled.

"I'm serious!" Urara insisted. "I can even accompany you if going alone would be too suspicious."

"No offense, but I don't think you being there with me is a good idea" Mio replied looking at Urara and her _assets_.

"Huh? Why not?" the girl asked, oblivious to what Mio was implying.

"Anyway, is this everything?" Mio asked and looked at both girls. "C'mon, you must have something more..."

"Katsuragi-san is pretty crafty. It's not easy to tail him without him noticing" Urara remarked. "And we're just three high-school girls, you know? What more can we do?"

"We're more than three schoolgirls" Tsukiyo said with a hint of haughty satisfaction in her voice, before turning to the last 'person' by the table. "Vulcan."

The doll remained unmoving for a moment, but then rose into the air.

"You used Vulcan-san to spy on Katsuragi-san?" Urara asked in shock.

"Yes. After all Vulcan is used to keeping an eye on Keima and can use magic. Luna's also small, which helps avoiding detection" Tsukiyo replied and then turned to the doll. "If you may."

"First, I'll have you know that I only did this because Tsukiyo asked me" the goddess said through Luna. "And if Tsukiyo ever decides she wants Katsuragi to be hers then I won't hesitate to stand in your way."

"I know that" Mio replied before sighing. "And that's why I thank you. The power of a goddess is priceless in a situation like this."

Urara blinked. Mio was obviously sucking up to Vulcan.

"Anyway" the goddess resumed, apparently buying the act. "I have followed Katsuragi for a while. I even got in touch with the devils who are acting as his guards."

"Guards?" the three girls exclaimed in question.

"Yes" Vulcan confirmed. "That's not important however. What's important is that Katsuragi is acting... strange."

"What do you mean strange?" Tsukiyo asked.

"Wasn't he always like that?" Urara said with a bored look on her face.

"Well, he's still cold creepy insensitive excuse of a man, that haven't changed" Vulcan said. "But I meant something else."

"We're all ears" Mio remarked.

"On first glance he looks normal" Vulcan resumed. "But on closer inspection something feels... off."

"That was vague" Urara noticed.

"That's because it _is_ vague" Vulcan admitted. "I can't really pinpoint it, most of it is more about the impression and not about what Katsuragi does... but he does seem... tense. And I expected him to walk from school to a game store and then to his house... but there are... irregularities. Most of them have to do with other girls. Like his sister dragging him to have some rāmen in Narusawa City with her and things like that."

"Well, what's so strange about Keima being dragged around?" Tsukiyo asked. "It's only to be expected with his new-found... friends."

"It's not that simple" Vulcan replied. "And what's weirder, Katsuragi sometimes goes... places... Places that don't make sense. And he looks even more tense then. I don't need to see his face to sense it. He even looks around, as if afraid of something."

"That... actually sounds serious" Urara noticed, a worried expression on her face. "Do you have any idea what does that mean?"

"Well, the devils didn't say there was any danger, so I think it's not that" Vulcan clarified. "I think that Katsuragi is simply disturbed and tired by all of this – Goidō-san pestering him, girls wanting some of his time and so on. I think he just tries to go where he can play games in peace. It's either that or he's just going crazy."

"Well, if that's true then it's not good news at all" Urara concluded. "If Katsuragi-san alienates himself from reality again then it'll be really hard to get him and Mio-chan together."

"Hmpf... maybe it's better that way" Vulcan commented. "After all, nothing good can come from getting involved with that sort of man."

"Yeah, yeah, you've said that before" Mio remarked. Vulcan gave her a small glare, but the girl didn't see it. She was busy thinking, her hand close to her face.

All of this... should she really investigate it herself?

"The lunch break will be over in ten minutes and I need to think of all of this, so we'll stop here for today" Mio said and stood up. "Thank you for all your efforts" she added as she neared the door.

"Mio-chan" Urara called to catch her attention. "There's one more thing. I have thought of an event that you could use."

(* * *)

Mio didn't really like Urara's idea. I mean, it wasn't bad... it was just too obvious. And too early. Waaay too early. And what Vulcan said was actually worrisome. Given the nature of this world and the lack of interest from other girls (except Yui), it was pretty possible that Katsuragi had returned to his own world and tried to fortify himself in there. This, however, meant that Urara's previous assumption could actually be correct – maybe Katsuragi really was tsundere and was just hiding in his comfort zone? Should she really use frontal attacks and break his armor? Should she just find him and confess right away?

No, she shook her head. She still didn't have enough information and even if she did, the actual confession required preparation. Even Katsuragi himself trained a lot before confessing to her... and it failed. What chances did Mio have right now against him? None. No to mention she didn't even know whether she liked him enough to confess.

So confession was a no-go, at least for now. The same went for Urara's idea. That left Mio with only one sensible option right now – she should just see for herself what was up with Katsuragi. Well, the idea of stalking him didn't appeal to her – stalking was something commoners did!

Thanks god it wasn't stalking. It was just tailing a suspect. Yeah, she should just stick to this version.

And the timing was also favorable – Mio had been doing her part-time job for over six months now. That meant she was entitled to 10 days of leave of absence. Having a break from work was very tempting, but Mio decided to save it for when she really needed it. And this seemed like such an occasion.

And thus, two days after the conversation in the astronomy club, Mio informed her employer she will be absent for today and proceeded to put her plan into motion.

After classes she retrieved her clothes and walked out of the school building. With the passing days the temperature was getting even lower and the snow was falling lazily, occasionally being blown away by a gust of wind. The snow made it more difficult to see the people leaving the school, but it was also making Mio less noticeable, especially since she was short and wearing inconspicuous commoner clothing.

Today the light music club was having a meeting, which meant that neither Yui, nor Katsuragi's sister will hinder her task. And finally she saw Keima Katsuragi himself leave the school.

Mio immediately felt this funny elusive feeling inside her stomach and somehow it seemed less cold all of a sudden. Seriously, she still couldn't figure out how her own heart worked, but it was true that once Katsuragi walked in the direction of the school gate, Mio's legs started to move out of their own volition, following the boy.

The snow lying on the ground did crunch a little under her winter shoes, but it was preferred compared to the sound her regular boots would make on snowless pavement. And Katsuragi was walking fairly slow, engrossed in his game, so following him wasn't difficult and soon he arrived at a game shop.

What a surprise, Mio thought as she walked into some other shop, so she could observe the street. Commoners sure enjoyed things like playing games. She personally thought that they played them, because in games they could be warriors, heroes and whatnot instead of their regular selves. One could say that commoners played games because they were commoners. Katsuragi was not your typical commoner though. Regular commoners immersed themselves in games temporarily before returning to their boring lives. On the other hand, Katsuragi was living in the gaming world permanently. Mio sighed inwardly. She certainly didn't approve of Katsuragi playing games that often, but she was in no position to say anything against it either.

Mio was brought out of her musings when she saw Katsuragi walking out of the shop. This surprised Mio a little. Did she spend so much time thinking? Come to think of it, Katsuragi was only carrying one bag full of games. According to Mio's (well... everyone's) memories, he was buying several bags worth of games before... Maybe it had something to do with the winter? Or maybe he was buying less games at a time, but visited the shop more often?

Mio waited for a moment before following Katsuragi – she could lose the sight of him that way, but it was still preferred compared to him noticing her. She thought that Katsuragi will go straight home, making further investigation impossible for today, but no – the gamer headed in a different direction and after some time walked into one of the buildings in the center of the city.

Inazumart? Mio thought to herself, before connecting the dots. Of course! The games in that small store weren't enough, so Katsuragi was going to buy more games here! This seemed like a valid explanation.

Only inside the mall Mio realized that this wasn't correct.

The first thing was that inside there was no snow and Mio couldn't use her hood, making her a lot more visible. Furthermore, the crowd made it more difficult to follow Katsuragi. However, the second thing was more problematic... and this thing was Katsuragi acting... well... strange.

Ever once in a while he would stop and look around for a bit, as if lost. This was kinda logical as he walked with eyes glued to his console... Wait, no. Take that back – his eyes were mostly glued to his console, but he was also paying more attention to his surroundings, as if expecting something. Was he waiting for someone? Maybe he was _really_ dating Kosaka and this was a date? But the light music club had a meeting today! Maybe Vulcan was right and Katsuragi was investigating something related to New Hell?

And then even stranger thing happened. Katsuragi was walking into various shops only to leave moments later. What was he doing? Was he searching for something? Maybe he was buying a birthday present? But for who? Her fickle memory chose this moment to remind her that Kosaka was born on the beginning of December. Could it be for her? And if it wasn't for Kosaka then who could it be for?

Wait... Mio herself had birthday on January the 2nd... it... it couldn't be for her, right? No, of course not. Pull yourself together, Mio! You're not some commoner girl, she told herself.

After that Katsuragi went to one of the benches... and just sat there. Mio was by now completely confused. Why was Katsuragi playing a single game in a place full of people? Wouldn't it be better to play six games in his house? Especially since he definitely didn't enjoy the crowd – every time someone walked close to him he raised his face in clear annoyance. And he was still looking around from time to time, preventing Mio from walking closer.

Finally, after god knows how long Katsuragi stood up… and started heading in her direction. Mio of course reacted to this.

With panic.

She turned around, planning to pull a hood over her face, politeness be damned, and get away calmly and coolly... but this plan went to Hell as soon as she accidentally walked into some commoner.

"Watch where you going little girl!" a boy she bumped into said. He was certainly taller than Mio, but he didn't look older at all. Normally, she would give him a piece of her mind, but Katsuragi was going in her direction and she was already making too much of a commotion, so she shoved the guy aside and then broke into a run.

In the end, Mio managed to avoid detection... but lost the sight of Katsuragi in the process. She returned to her own house feeling the mixture of anger, shame and disappointment.

And there went her second emergency sandwich.

(* * *)

The next day Mio resumed her investigation. This time, however, Katsuragi was accompanied by his happy-go-lucky sister. And on second thought, his sister was _really_ lucky – she got to spend like half her life with Katsuragi and he didn't even seemed to mind. Yes, he looked as if he was ignoring her most of the time, but that's just the way he was. And the sight of the siblings actually affected Mio. Yui trying to seduce Katsuragi was fine – the drummer was nothing more but a possible rival. But Katsuragi's sister was different – she was cute, sweet, pure and friendly. And Mio had the sneaky suspicion that Eri's affection towards her brother stretched the notion of 'sibling love' to the limit.

And as ridiculous as it was, Mio felt a tiny pang on jealousy in her chest.

On their way home the Katsuragi siblings stopped by, surprise, surprise, a game shop. Mio shook her head, asking herself how could she even consider confessing to the boy a few days earlier. However, what she saw next made her pay attention again. It seemed as if the siblings had a dispute of sorts and soon the sister left in the direction of her home, while Katsuragi entered the shop. On first glance it seemed natural – even Katsuragi's own sister couldn't endure his antics forever... but didn't she accompany him in the shops before? Was it because they weren't spirit-hunting partners anymore?

Mio's train of thought came to a stop when not five second later Katsuragi peeked outside of the shop, making sure that his sister walked away. And then he started looking around, as if surveying the most obvious hiding spots people could use to follow him.

Mio was in one such spot and she barely managed to hide in an alley. What was happening? she thought frantically. Did he figure out she was following him? Did he send his sister to look for her? A few seconds later she could hear, or more like feel, him walk by her hiding spot. After a longer moment Mio peeked outside and, sure enough, Katsuragi was walking down the street, as if going back to school again. By now Mio had reached the obvious conclusion.

Either he was crazy or she was.

After she made sure she was a safe distance from him, Mio continued to follow Katsuragi, but she did it carefully, hiding whenever he turned around. He might be a god of conquest or whatever, but she was not too shabby herself! Finally, it seemed that Katsuragi reached his destination.

And that destination was Misaki Seaside Park.

Mio hid behind one of the tree trunks and watched in surprise as Katsuragi headed for the place next to Akanemaru and sat on one of the benches. She realized that it was exactly the same spot where Katsuragi had been talking with his teacher from Hell after he had returned from the past.

Was Katsuragi being nostalgic? Was it related to that Kosaka girl, after all? Mio had no idea, but all of this mystery and tension was slowly getting to her. I mean, why was she thinking so much about it? She wasn't like that librarian girl! She shook her hand, returning to observe Katsuragi play his games... except he wasn't playing them – his console was resting on the bench next to him. And Katsuragi himself seemed... anxious... angry even. And, just as Vulcan said, Mio somehow sensed Katsuragi's annoyance despite seeing only his back. Not that she could blame him for being annoyed – it wasn't exactly warm and the wind was strong here as well.

After some time, Katsuragi stood up mumbled something under his breath and once again started to go back. Mio immediately hid behind the tree, grateful for her petite and slim build, especially since Katsuragi walked close by her hiding spot. And that's was when she heard him speak.

It wasn't exactly easy to hear him through the blowing of the wind, but Mio caught his words. At first she didn't paid any attention to them – after all such words were typical for him – but a few seconds later, when she prepared to follow him again, something occurred to her.

The thought itself was absurd, especially considering the limited amount of information she possessed. She stayed there for a longer while, trying to analyze the feedback she got and formulate different conclusions, but there were none.

This was stupid, she thought. She should just follow Katsuragi and get to the bottom of this. She looked around, trying to spot the gamer's figure... but she didn't see him. Huh? Where was he? She didn't know how long she spent thinking, but it couldn't be more than twenty seconds or so. Yet, Katsuragi was nowhere to be seen.

Damn it! How could she be so stupid and just lost him like that? she asked herself as she ran through the park. He's got to be somewhere nearby. She just got out of the park and turned a corner, when she finally spotted him – walking a few meters in front of her. Whoa, whoa, that was too close, she thought and attempted to stop.

Attempted being the keyword.

The spot she placed her foot on was slippery and Mio immediately started to flail her arms to catch her balance, certain she will fall down and bump her head or worse. However, the slippery ground and her momentum resulted in her sliding forward as if she was skating... heading straight into Katsuragi.

"Katsuragi! Watch out!" she shouted. The boy in question cringed when he heard his name and turned around his usual neutral expression on his face... before his eyes widened in surprise.

At this point the only thing Mio could do was close her eyes and-CRASH!

"Oww..." she groaned after a few moments and noticed that her and Katsuragi were essentially one mass of limbs lying on the ground. She slowly disentangled herself from him and stood up, realizing that, once again, he had taken the brunt of the crash. And it was her fault... this was a disaster!

"I'm sorry, I didn't meant to do it! Are you all right?" she said in slight panic, before remembering something. Wasn't it possible for a bad impression to turn into a good one later on? Could this fiasco actually be the (literal) impact she needed?

In the meantime, Katsuragi stood up as well, dusted himself off and then checked the condition of his console. Thankfully, it wasn't damaged. Then he raised his head to look at his assaulter and his eyes widened again.

"M-Mio?" he asked, sounding more surprised that she expected him to be.

"What?" she asked back, he pride getting the better of her. "It's Aoyama-san to you!" she told him, before internally slapping herself. Why was she distancing herself from him?

"What are you doing here?" Katsuragi asked, his piercing eyes narrowing suspiciously, the crash seemingly forgotten. "Aren't you supposed to be working right now?"

Mio really hoped her face was already red from the cold, so he wouldn't see her blushing. "A-and how would you know when I'm working and when I'm not, huh?" she asked, trying to match his confidence. "Are you spying on me again?"

"No" he replied. "Are you?"

"N-no, of course not" Mio denied weakly. She didn't like the suspicious look on his face. And the gleam in his eye that followed.

"You _were_ spying on me" Katsuragi stated, not asked.

"No!" Mio denied. "I just saw you by accident... and I got interested because you were acting weird!"

Katsuragi didn't look calmer at all. Actually, it was the opposite.

"H-how long?"

"Huh?"

"How long were you following me!?"

"I don't know... since your sister left, I guess" Mio lied before realizing that Katsuragi's arms somehow ended up on her shoulders. Touching, she realized.

He was touching her.

"Don't touch me!" she overreacted, shoving him away

"Ugh... that's my line, you hypocrite!" he said.

"Hypocrite!?" Mio shouted back at him. "Aren't you talking about yourself!?"

"W-what do you mean?" Katsuragi asked, calmness disappearing from his face once again.

"You know damn well what I mean!" Mio shouted angrily, unconsciously turning off the word filter in her mouth in the process. "You were supposed to be the god of the gaming world! Relentless! Unyielding! Immovable! Incorruptible! You were supposed to be unaffected by the real world!"

"I am unaffected!" Katsuragi said, getting closer, as if trying to scare her away, his eyes boring into her soul.

However, Mio wasn't the one to get scared easily. Is that how you wanna play it? Well, two people can play that game, she thought as she got closer as well. Their faces were now separated by an indecently small distance. And both their faces were red either from cold, anger or embarrassment.

But neither backed down.

"Are you now?" Mio mocked, referring to his latest claim. "Then why do you pay attention to the real world?"

"You're delusional" Katsuragi countered, his poker face back in place. He wasn't forceful, persuasive or shaken. It was a simple fact. But Mio was nowhere near beaten.

"Oh, really?" she said. "You're so unaffected that you go to the shopping center even though you have nothing to buy, is that it?! Yes, I saw that as well!" she added when she noticed his mask cracking. "You go to places full of people! Places that stink of the real world! The way I see it, it looks like you're trying to understand the real world more! You're trying to get closer to it!" she accused. "And back there by the sea I heard what you said! 'The real is a shitty game'. I thought that it was normal for you to say that, but then again, if it's so shitty then what are you doing here, instead of staying in your home, sitting in your warm, cozy nerdy chair and-" at this she stopped, confused by a lack of response. She looked at Katsuragi. And blinked.

The god's normally expressionless face displayed a mixture of emotions. Surprise. Shock. Fear. Shame. And finally depression, as Keima Katsuragi hung his head low, a heavy aura of hopelessness surrounding him.

Wait, what?

(* * *)

"So how long has this been going on?" Mio asked once she was back, two cans of juice in her hands. Katsuragi was now sitting on a bench and they were back in the middle of Misaki Seaside Park, just the two of them, no other human soul in sight.

"I'm not really sure" the boy responded in a weary voice. He sounded exhausted, just like when he was carrying the carriages while working as her driver. "I guess it started with Chihiro's conquest."

The mention of the girl made one of Mio's eyebrow twitch, but she composed herself.

"Here" she shoved one can of juice into his hand and than sat down next to him. Then she realized she was fetching Katsuragi drinks.

How did _that_ happen?

"This can't be all, right?" she said in response to his words. "It was never this serious. I mean, what happened?"

Katsuragi shrugged. "The usual. People nagging me about the real. Shiori telling me I'm afraid. Urara saying I'm too weak of a player for the real world. Nagase challenging me. And other people too. All the people I've met... I guess you've all showed me the glimpse... a bridge to the real" he paused for a moment, as if reminiscing, before continuing. "I always knew the real was a shitty game... but I played shitty games before. The game with Sora was full of bugs, but I still played it. I played games with crappy mechanics and games with crappy art... They were all worth playing... thus real should be like that too. I always thought it was imperfect, illogical and difficult" Katsuragi looked in front of himself with a distant look, as if he could see something Mio couldn't. "But... I came to realize that imperfections aren't all that bad. And that difficult games are worth playing. After all, this entire game of runaway spirits, devils, goddesses and time travels was worth playing. It left me... satisfied."

"And that's why you want to get better at this game called 'real world'. And in order to do this you have been gathering information" Mio said and paused to drink her juice. "However, there's one thing I don't understand... if all of that is true, then why are you so down?" she asked.

At this Katsuragi hid his head in his hands and groaned.

"Because of you" he said.

"Haa?" Mio narrowed her eyes. "You're saying it's my fault?" Katsuragi nodded. "Why?"

"Because you found out!" he said, pointing his finger at her. "I'm not ready! And I don't want to _merge_ with the real. I just wanted to put more effort into it... so I don't upset people that care for me."

"I still don't see why I am the problem here!" Mio said.

"It was supposed to be a secret!" Katsuragi shouted and raised his hands into the air, as if it was obvious. "Now everyone will pester me, trying to drag me to the real! And my gaming time will disappear! That's not what I wanted!"

"Whoa, whoa, wait a moment" Mio elbowed him lightly, to shut him up. "It certainly won't be a secret if you scream like that. Besides, why would everyone pester you?" she questioned. "They don't know about it."

"But they _will_ know, won't they?" Katsuragi said, but then he stopped, when he noticed an aura of anger around Mio.

"Are you suggesting I will tell everyone about it?" she asked.

Katsuragi blinked. "Y-you won't?" he asked.

Mio huffed. "Who do you think I am?" she asked back. "I'm not a snitch! And you're not the only one who can keep a secret, you know?"

"Are you serious?" he said in disbelief. "You won't tell anyone about it?"

"No, unless you want me to" she said and then idea struck her. "Actually... how about we form an alliance?"

"Alliance?" Katsuragi asked in surprise.

"Yeah. What you're doing is basically learning and adapting to the life-style of commoners, right? Well, I'm doing that too. I-I mean, I haven't become a commoner" she corrected herself. "But I could use someone with your ability to grasp things."

"You're saying we should learn about the real together?"

"Yeah" Mio said simply. This was actually a risky move and she was stepping on a very thin ice here. But there might not be another chance like this. What was the saying? Strike iron while it's still hot, right? Besides, this... event had a lot of potential. Katsuragi said it himself.

 _For two people who are too far apart, "secrets" can be super glue._

Or something like that.

"And you're going to do it for free?" Katsuragi asked suspiciously.

"I'm not going to ask for money, if that's what you're implying" Mio said, crossing her arms over her small chest.

"So what are you going to ask for?"

Mio bit her lip and thought for a moment.

"Tutor me" she finally said, using the first of Urara's ideas.

"Eh?" Katsuragi exclaimed. "What do you mean?"

"I agree with you school philosophy – I want to separate what's really necessary from all the useless stuff teachers are trying to hammer into our heads" Mio explained. "Thus, I want you to give me an easy way to get a good grade for the subjects that I don't need. I guess notes will do... most of the time."

"And what about other subjects?" Katsuragi asked. "The ones you need?"

"About those, you'll tutor me once a week personally. Sundays. Without distractions or excuses."

Katsuragi remained silent for a moment, probably searching for openings in her armor, but he wasn't in his conquest mode, so she was capable of staying calm.

"Why would I do that?" he asked finally.

"Because I'll help you deal with the real and protect your secret" she told him. "Besides, helping your classmates is a part of the real. Treat this as training."

"We're not classmates" he noticed.

"You know what I mean... so, deal?" Mio extended her hand in offer. "Partner?"

Keima hesitated for a few more moments and then clasped her hand with his own, shaking it. The moment their hands touched Mio felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her. They had done it only once before, but they way her hand felt in his was really familiar.

And nice too.

"All right, then we have a deal!" Mio said with a small and sly smile and then stood up. "I expect you to be ready on Sunday. Don't disappoint me!" she commanded and then started to walk away. After a few steps she turned around though.

"Oh... and one more thing" she said, getting Katsuragi's attention. "Since we're now partners, I suppose 'Mio-san' will suffice."

And with that she headed for her house, leaving Katsuragi sitting on the bench, unopened can of juice still in his hand.

(* * *)

 **So, here you have it – Mio and Keima made an alliance to "know the real/commoners". I wonder what will come out of it... and how long can Mio keep the act before Keima realizes what she's doing?**

 **I also hope that they are both in character enough, as it takes no genius to figure out that they don't act as we're all used to watch them act.**

 **As always, I kindly ask you to leave me a review and let me know your opinions on this chapter. Tell me what you think! :)**

 **And I have one important thing to say. I was actually supposed to say it last time, but I forgot. As you probably know, Mio's mother in unnamed in the manga/anime. Thus... I want to announce a little poll/contest. If you want Mio's mom to have a specific name then let me know in a review or PM. ZelgadisGW already made a suggestion and I won't be lying to you – it's a good one, but maybe you have better suggestions. I'd love to hear them.  
**

 **Also, I said I would try to make the next pokemake by now, but it's not finished yet. It could also turn out to be quite long.**

 **Well, that's pretty much it. I'll try to post the next chapter in a week, but I'm not sure if I'll write enough to post it safely. We'll see.**

 **See you next time!**


	4. Flag 44: Let it snow!

**Hello, everyone! I'm back yet again! :)**

 **I have some good and some bad news. The good news is that there have been some improvement with my writing speed, so I'm posting this one a few days earlier than I expected and I have a part of the next chapter prepared.**

 **The bad news is that a lot of things to do have been pushed onto my back at the same time and the next few weeks can get really tricky. We'll see.**

 **Anyway, as always, thank you for all your views, favs, follows and reviews. Here are replies to the reviews:**

 **DarkBladerZX:** Thank you. I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

 **ZelgadisGW:** We all kinda knew it was gonna happen, no? ;) Well see what comes out of it. :)

 **Sasori69:** By "difficult" I meant both "complicated" and "requiring effort". I'm not saying that Keima is lazy _per se_ , but that games give him more with the same effort invested. Or something like that. :) Anyway, thank you for appreciating my idea. And thank you for name ideas. I somehow can't portray Mrs. Aoyama with name like "Mika". "Mei" is better, especially since it's "Mio-like". But out of those three Yuko is the one that clicks the most.

 **NotAnAuthor504:** Thank you for pointing out that typo! Glad you like interactions between the protagonists. :) Well, I usually figure out such details myself, but I want to get my readers' opinions once in a while.

 **Shawn Raven:** Right! Urara's assets are not to be made fun of! They are to have fun with*cough* *cough* what was I saying? ;) Well, it's not total blasphemy as Keima just wants to get competent in real enough to interact with the handful of his precious real people. I could also put it another way, but that's for a different Nomi. :) And the loli part is tricky and depends on the definition of loli. Mio and Tsukiyo are short and have small bust sizes, but they're practically seventeen at this point. And they are mostly portrayed as "short bossy tsundere" and "gothloli kuudere" (and gothloli is not really related to loli in this context) instead of "loli". Rimyuel is more problematic, despite her being around 18 (as Akari) or 300+ (as Rimyuel).

 **Okay, enough with this, let us get to the chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

"No offense or anything" Mio said as she browsed through the notes she just received. "But that doesn't look like the English notes you prepared for your classmates before."

"That's because they're for different subjects than English" Keima replied with a straight face.

"You know what I mean" Mio countered with a discontented expression.

"Unlike my classmates, you have different teachers than I do, so I can't just simply derive likely test problems based on their personality and subject material" Keima explained. "Besides, you didn't ask for a single test, but for a long-term tutoring. That's completely different."

Mio nodded in understanding. At least that way she had valid excuse to meet him from time to time. And he wasn't trying to get rid of her by handing her the notes and walking away, so that was a plus, she thought as she sipped her tea.

It was Sunday and the two of them were now sitting in one of the secluded booths in a small fast food restaurant.

"I suppose I can try this out for a while and we'll see whether it's effective or not" Mio said half-provocatively and then grabbed her fork and started to eat her fries.

"I can't guarantee 90% success rate" Keima replied. "But 70% should be no problem."

"It's enough, as long as it's not taxing" Mio replied

"You don't like putting effort into things, do you?" Keima asked casually.

"You're the one to talk" Mio countered. "You always try to weasel out of doing things that aren't related to gaming. That's not just being a lazy nerd. That's being a pain in the ass of society."

"I merely try to optimize my gaming time" Keima shrugged and started to eat as well. "I get rid of irrelevant activities. And I do that by performing them with excellence."

"So you're genius loafer instead of just regular loafer? Not big of a difference" Mio remarked. "But, unfortunately, I can't say I don't understand you. I also try to get over with studying, so I can focus on other things."

"Then why bother to study at all?" Keima asked. On one hand he was sort of invested into the conversation, but had stayed neutral the whole time overall. Mio couldn't figure out what he was really thinking, except for one thing.

It was very likely that he was keeping his eye on her and Mio couldn't blame him – even with all this tutoring and stuff he has to suspect something was up.

"Because I need my education" Mio replied in 'duh, isn't it obvious?' manner. "I can't afford to neglect my studies, but I don't want to sacrifice my part-time job either."

"Why?" Keima asked. "Good education is not necessary for working in a bread shop."

"Don't make me laugh!" Mio remarked, pointing her fork at him like a sword, which would look pretty serious if it weren't for the fries sticking to it. "I told you before. I haven't become a commoner. I will definitely rebuild my father's company!"

Keima didn't seem surprised or embarrassed by this, clearly indicating that he hasn't forgotten about her ambition and was merely testing her.

"So you plan to go back to your previous life?"

"You say it as if being rich is a bad thing" Mio noticed. "You would use money to buy and make games too."

"It's not about being rich. It's about being snobby, arrogant and stubborn" Keima accused.

"So you think I'm like that?" Mio asked, surprisingly not sure whether she should get furious of ashamed.

"I didn't say that" Keima noticed still calm. "And you didn't answer my question."

Mio huffed. "In order to make my dream come true money will be necessary. And once my task is complete the money will come as well, so I guess being rich is both means and result... besides... I don't want my mother to spend the rest of her life like that" she finished with a saddened expression.

"So you realized you're not just the daughter of your father, but of your mother as well" Keima stated, his eyes suddenly fixed on her, almost pinning her in place. Mio didn't expect that. She felt a rush of heat invade her cheeks, so she decided to pretend to be angry, so he would misinterpret.

"Wha?" she exclaimed. "Of course I realized that! Who do you think I am?"

"I'm sorry about your father" Keima suddenly said and all of Mio's anger – real or pretended – disappeared at once, leaving her shocked. It was just as when he had told her that her father was satisfied already.

"What?" Mio asked, thinking she misheard something.

"Our views and relationships with our family members are certainly different" Keima remarked. "And my father is alive... but he is absent a lot and my mother is... let's just say I'm not exactly the best son out there."

"No shit..." Mio said, but Keima continued without as much as a shrug.

"I have almost met your father in the past... This and the time I met you in the bakery" his face become gentler and for a moment Mio thought he has switched into 'conquest mode'. "It made me realize how difficult the life of a Weiss victim really is. I'm sorry that you had to go through this."

"Don't be" Mio said, her features softer as well. "You had it much worse than I did. And you didn't deserve most of it. Actually..." she paused for a moment. It wasn't exactly easy to say it, but it had to be said. "The way I have treated you before... It was wrong..."

Keima looked surprised, marking his second real reaction today, as he continued to listen to what Mio was saying.

"You helped me... big time. I know I'm not... the easiest person to deal with and... I just want you to know that I appreciate what you did for me" she said, now unable to stop the blood from going to her face. "Especially you driving me to school. Carrying all those heavy stuff with you... Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me" Keima said matter-of-factly. "I just did what had to be done and I did it blindly following the knowledge from my games. And I was saving my own skin, after all."

Mio shook her head. "You're right – I don't _have_ to thank you. And that's why there's _meaning_ in thanking you."

An awkward silence followed, during which both teenagers focused on their food.

"Now" Mio started as soon as she finished her fries, before Keima could comment on the previous topic. "Let's continue with the studying."

(* * *)

The next hour was spent with Keima trying to help Mio with chemistry, physics and – most important of all – math. Mio wasn't really stupid, but she wasn't a stellar student and she didn't enjoy studying. Not to mention the fact that having Keima next to her playing a game while she tried to solve some problem by herself wasn't exactly helping her focus.

Keima, on the other hand, had no problem concentrating at all. His brow wasn't furrowed and his eyes were not squinted. He was calm, collected and almost unmoving. Mio knew Keima was actually prone to creepy outbursts while playing a particularly good game, but he wasn't displaying it now. He was like a statue. Ability to walk any route and iron will to withstand all challenges.

An immovable object and unstoppable force all at once.

And Mio had to admit – when Keima wasn't spouting about games, making weird faces or being cold he was actually quite handsome.

Even without a suit.

And his weird faces were actually kind of cute... Gah! Why am I even thinking this?! she berated herself as she got back to the task at hand.

With moderate success.

(* * *)

After they were done with the tutoring-studying session, they went out of the restaurant and blended with the crowds in search of their second objective. Mio hesitated for a moment and then pulled her hood over her head, while Keima followed half a step behind her. He seemed normal – playing his games and seemingly paying no attention to his surroundings. However, Mio knew that Keima was actually pretty aware of what was happening around him. And that lead Mio to a question.

"Katsuragi" she started as they were walking down the street.

"Hm?"

"You want to keep your... investigation of the real worlds a secret, right?" she asked.

"Obviously" Keima answered before adding. "Why? Are you having second thoughts?" his eyes briefly left his console to look at her.

"It's not that... it's just... are you sure that nobody knows?" she asked. "I mean I learned about this, so the others might as well... especially if we're talking about... you know... goddesses, devils and all the magic stuff."

Keima stayed quiet for several seconds and then stopped playing for a moment. "Well, as a matter of fact, there is a group of devils keeping eye on me."

"Keeping eye on you?" Mio repeated, trying to act surprised. "Why?" this actually interested her. She didn't want any (literal) rivals from Hell.

"A safety measure to prevent the thing with Satyr from ever happening again" Keima replied.

"Can they, like, see us _now_?" Mio asked more than a little annoyed. How they dare spy at her? And, more importantly, how dare they spy at _him_?

"Probably" Keima answered before sighing. "I can guess what you're asking. Yes, the three of them know about my... activities."

"And?"

"Rimyuel doesn't really care. Nora would probably love to gossip about it, but Haqua won't let her."

Mio only nodded, not bothering to remember which devil was which.

"Anyway, where are we heading?" Keima asked.

"Well, winter is not all that good for learning about commoners' activities, but I think I have an interesting idea."

"You didn't answer my question" Keima noticed.

"I don't have to. We're here" Mio said, pointing to what was in front of her.

Keima looked up. And blinked.

"You have to be joking."

Mio was pointing to what seemed to be an impromptu outdoor winter amusement park set near the mountain, not that far from the stone stairs leading to the Kasuga dojo. There were various people here, mostly children and teenagers. Some were using the side of the mountain for sledding or even skiing, some were skating inside a rather large ice rink and some were making snowmen. And some were actually having a snowball fight.

"Why?" Mio asked. "This is a typical winter activity. Granted, this year's snowfall is particularly strong" Mio indicated to the snow falling lazily, but profusely around them. "But everything else is typical."

"This activity is typical for children. It's something Eri would do" Keima said in disappointment.

"Oh, really?" Mio asked. "It seems there are quite a lot of teenagers and adults here as well."

Keima looked around, but it seemed Mio was right. He could even see some people making angels in the snow and they weren't kids.

"This is clearly a part of the real" Keima admitted. "And there's a lot of snow. And snow means water. And water is the mortal enemy of games. I can't see this as a sane affair... anyway do you want to just watch it? If that's the case then I preferred the shopping centers. At least it was warm inside" Keima said as he shivered briefly.

But he received no answer.

"Mio...-san?" Keima asked, turning around, but Mio wasn't there.

Where did she go? He asked himself and turned again, searching for the small figure of the girl-SMACK!

Keima stumbled back a little and looked down at his clothes thinking that he got something wrong, but it was true.

He was just hit by a snowball.

He raised his head and, sure enough, he spotted Mio good ten meters from him, half-hiding behind a tree and preparing another cold missile.

"You don't only look like elementary school kid. You act as one as well" Keima said, trying to clean his clothes from the snow.

"What?! I'm not that small!" Mio shouted a lot louder than necessary, before narrowing her eyes. "I was planning to avoid hitting you in the face, but now you've done it!" and with this she tossed a snowball at him.

Keima tensed a little, but Mio simply missed him. Still, this could be a diversion. Either way, another snowball was launched and Keima was forced to sidestep to avoid it.

"Hmpf! If that's all you've got then-" SMACK! Yet another snowball hit, this time squarely in the face, while he was in the middle of repositioning his glasses. The momentum, cold and shock made him fall to the ground.

Two seconds later he was back up and making a snowball on his own, compressing the snow much more than necessary. "You... how dare you raise a hand against a god?!"

"What's the matter, Katsuragi? Were there no galges with snowball fights?" Mio mocked, but her eyes widened when a snowball grazed her ear. She barely saw him throw it though. She quickly ducked behind the tree.

"For your information, there are plenty of snowball fights in games!" Keima said and Mio could hear his voices nearing closer. "And my aim is a lot better then yours" he was close now, she could hear his soft steps. He was planning to walk the trunk around and ambush her from the other side. But Mio wouldn't fall for that.

"How come? You never were in an actual snowball fight before! Why would your aim be good?" Mio said and, exploiting the fact that Keima was formulating his answer, she jumped out of her hiding place and onto the ground, sliding a bit and aiming-huh? Where did he go?

SMACK!

A ball of snow hit her in the side of her face and the only reason she didn't fall was because she wasn't standing in the first place.

"Because" Keima appeared from the original side of tree, another snowball in his hand. "I'm a god."

Mio didn't reply. She was wriggling on the ground, her hands at her face.

"Mio?" Keima asked.

"Snow got into my eye... shit!" Mio said as she was trying to wipe her face.

"You reap what you sow" Keima told her, but he walked up to her and extended his hand to her. "Do you want help, my lady?" he teased.

With a sudden motion Mio grabbed his legs and pulled, resulting in Keima falling face-first into the snowy ground.

"That's what you get!" Mio said as she pushed Keima's head further into the snow. Lightly. "And it's 'Mio-san' to you, puny god! Now yield!"

"After my dead body" Keima said.

Soon they were wrestling in the snow, neither noticing the various glances they were receiving from other people. Both Mio and Keima were proud individuals and didn't hesitate to throw a handful of snow powder onto the other party to blind them. Keima was much heaver, despite his slim build, but Mio was much more ferocious.

And they were both stubborn.

"Let's... call it a draw" Keima said some time later as they were both panting, leaning against the tree.

"So you give up?" Mio asked.

"I merely recognize the futility of that kind of fight. I'm rather play a game with different rules."

Mio snorted. "Rules? It's not a game with rules. Snowball fights are not games with points. You just play it."

"No conditions for victory and no ending? That certainly sounds like a crappy game" Keima mused aloud, before pulling out his PFP and starting to walk away. "I suppose it's enough for today. I'll have the next notes prepared by the next Sunday. See you."

"Hey! You could at least thank me, you know?" Mio said after him.

"I will thank you if I don't get a cold overnight."

You would just use it as excuse to not go to school, Mio thought, but she didn't say it out loud. She watched Keima walk away instead and, when she was sure he was out of earshot she opened her mouth.

"Thank you."

(* * *)

Surprisingly it was Mio who caught a cold and a runny nose was not something she enjoyed on her way to school the next day. But aside from that the week proceeded rather normally. Mio had already talked with Urara and Tsukiyo and told them she'll be all right by herself for the time being.

And after a whole week Mio once again found herself in front of meticulously prepared notes. Mio said she would find out whether this study method was effective or not, but for now she didn't have any means to do so, so she just went on with it.

Studying definitely wasn't Mio's favorite activity and having Keima tutor her was both a blessing and a curse, as his presence encouraged and embarrassed her.

She also noticed Keima took precautions this time and was wearing warmer clothes. And for a good reason.

(* * *)

"So what is our agenda for today, making snowman?" Keima asked when they arrived at the same spot they did a week ago. Except this time there was even more people.

"Nah" Mio replied. "Knowing your drawing skills it would be one ugly snowman."

Keima's eyebrow twitched. "And here I thought it was about having fun and not the snowman looking pretty" he said. "And I'll have you know that my grade in 'art' is always good."

"Just as your grade with social studies... but that's probably because of the written tests" Mio remarked. "Well, the high-price paintings these days are strange to say the least, so you might have a shot" then she remembered Yokkyun. "Or maybe not."

"You still didn't answer my question" Keima noticed. "Is it another snowball fight today? Because I'm not doing that."

"No, it's not that. Just wait here" and with this Mio was off. Keima just shrugged and continued to game, not paying attention to the people around him until...

"I'm back!"

Keima looked up and opened his mouth. And stayed like that.

Mio was indeed walking up to him and she was carrying, or more precisely dragging, something behind her. And that thing was...

"Where did you get a _sled_?" Keima asked.

Mio shrugged. "They renting sleds and skis over there" she pointed to one of the fenced areas. "It's just 300 yen. Here" she offered him the rope. "We're going up that slope."

Keima remained silent for a moment, but then shrugged. Yes, it was stupid real activity, but doing a little bit of those was the point, so he grabbed the rope and started walking... when he felt a tug, as if the sled resisted being pulled. He turned around... only to see Mio sitting on the sled.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Sitting" Mio replied. "And what are you _not_ doing? You're supposed to pull me!"

"I'm _not_ your servant."

Mio snorted. "You didn't have a problem with driving me to school before" she reminded him.

"I'm not your driver anymore!"

"That's a pity" Mio looked to the side. "You had been doing a fairly good job back then."

Keima frowned. He wasn't her babysitter, was he? And has her father never took her sledding? Or maybe he has and Mio simply wanted to relive that memories. And as much as he despised the real, something inside told him to just pamper Mio a little. On the outside she was strong and proud, but the loss of her father hit her hard. Keima tried to imagine him losing all his games forever and shivered.

"All right" he said and started to pull. "But only this once."

(* * *)

Thankfully, Mio got off the sled once they started walking up the treeless part of the mountain slope. Finally, they reached the beginning of the sled chute.

"Would you like to step into the handsome carriage, my lady?" Keima asked and bowed a little, indicating to the sled with his hand. The sled was looking anything but handsome, however Keima seemed sincere enough, so Mio just lifted her nose high into the air.

"If you insist" she said casually and then slowly sat down in the front of the sled. It was obvious they were going to sledge together, but only when Keima sat down behind her did Mio realize what that meant – she could lean back and she would be practically lying on his chest. She quickly decided not to do that as her cheeks became pink.

"Rope" she heard Keima speak.

"Huh?"

"Grab the ropes. You'll need them to steer" he explained. "Or do you want me to take them?"

"N-no, of course not!" she replied, taking the ropes. He had already enough control as it was.

And she was perfectly capable of handling one small sled slide.

(* * *)

Fifteen seconds later, when the sled picked up speed she wasn't so sure anymore.

"Lean back" Keima said.

"W-what?"

"We're slowing down. You need to lean back or we won't be able to speed up."

Mio wasn't sure she wanted to speed up. But she wasn't the one to back down either. And Keima's voice was calm and alluring for some reason, enough for her to just comply with what he was saying.

"All right, now turn left" he ordered and Mio tugged at the rope without question. A little stronger than necessary.

"Easy" Keima said grabbing the rope too. "Use your body to balance the sled as well."

Mio knew that. At least she was supposed to, but somehow the majority of her reasoning was gone, left at the start of the chute.

And who the hell designed this chute anyway, she thought to herself as they passed another sharp turn, slowing briefly before picking up speed again.

In the midst of all that she realized that the rush of air must have made her two pigtails fly right into Keima's face, but this was forgotten as soon as they neared another turn.

And then it suddenly ended, the terrain leveled and their sled slowed down before stopping completely. Mio blinked in surprise when she realized they were back at the foot of the slope.

"Move aside!" the passenger of the next sled shouted and he passed close to them. Mio noticed that his sled had a lot more momentum at the end then hers and Keima's. And she suddenly felt... unsatisfied.

"That was just a test ride" she stood up. "We're going back there again."

She expected Keima to object, but he just pulled out his game with "fine, but it's your turn to drag the sled."

(* * *)

"How about you go in front this time?" she asked when they were readying for the second slide. "You have better control than me anyway."

Keima shrugged and then sat on the sled. Mio followed suit. She placed her legs on top of the runners, but then hesitated. Where was she supposed to put her hands? She could grab the bed of the sled, but she had a feeling it won't be enough.

"Hey!" she started, making excuse on the spot. "I want to go faster this time."

"Yes, yes, my lady" Keima replied, but then flinched when Mio wrapped her hands around his waist. "What are you doing?" he said trying to turn around.

"If we're going to go fast then I need to do this, so I won't fall out of the sled" she told him, making sure he won't see her face. "Or do you want me to fall out?"

Keima didn't say anything for a moment and then...

"Fine" he said.

Mio smiled. "Then let's go!"

"Roger" he said and started to push the sled towards the chute.

(* * *)

Mio had completely no idea where Katsuragi learned to control the sled like that, but one thing she knew for sure – that was some speed.

And most important of all, this time around it was actually fun.

They were overcoming turn after turn with considerable momentum and the sled was shaking violently, but Mio wasn't afraid. She knew Keima had everything under control and with that the emotion turned into thrill of excitement before it could surface as fear.

"Can this thing go even faster?" she asked and Keima proved that it could.

Mio forgot she was clinging to Keima in public or that she was supposed to help him learn about the real world and conquer him along the way – she simply enjoyed the only good thing about winter.

She didn't even mind when their sled entered the last turn a little too fast and fell out of the chute, sending both teenagers into a snowdrift.

"That was great!" Mio said as soon as she dusted the snow off her clothes.

"It would be better if you weren't moving about so much at the end" Keima said while wiping his glasses, his hair in more disarray than usual. It made Mio wonder how _she_ must've looked.

"Oh, shut up!" she told him, but with no ill-intent.

"Hmpf! Like you could make me do that" Keima said, putting his glasses on.

Mio didn't answer. Instead a snowball hit Keima.

"Ha ha!" Mio smirked as she pointed at his surprised face. "That certainly shut you up!"

"So you still raise a hand against god?" Keima said quietly as he started gathering snow on his own. "Fufufu, you'll pay for this, sinner..."

"Hmpf! I'd like to see you make me pay" Mio mocked his words, aiming a missile as well.

What followed was a snowball fight, but much more intense then last time. And it became painfully obvious that Keima had been training since then and Mio quickly found herself being overwhelmed by his accuracy and awareness of his surroundings.

In the end Mio had to yield, but she wasn't sad or angry – Keima seemed to almost enjoy himself and she did get to spend quality time with him.

(* * *)

The two of them were now inside another cheap diner, one of the few that were open on Sundays. Their jackets were hanging on a rack and they were eating some warm food. Keima was quickly done with his portion and back to playing on his console.

Mio, however, didn't mind. She was actually in quite a good mood. They went sledding and were sharing a meal together. Of course, they had been walking as well.

All of that was almost like a date. Well, for Mio it _was_ a date. And the last week was too. Still, she understood that it wasn't like that for Keima, so she would have to wait for their first real date.

"That was a pretty beneficial day, wasn't it?" she said as she finished her food. It wasn't as great as her favorite sandwiches, but it was still good.

"You think so?" Keima asked back, expressionless eyes illuminated by his console.

"Oh, c'mon, don't tell me you didn't enjoy any of it" Mio accused.

"It wasn't that bad" Keima admitted. "But I still can't say I enjoyed it."

"Really?" she said doubtfully. "You were strangely eager for someone who didn't enjoy it."

"That's because I didn't want to spoil your fun."

A statement like that meant that Keima actually cared for Mio and her well-being. It didn't mean he liked her yet or anything, but it was still a giant step forward and normally Mio would blush or press the issue. But she didn't, because something else caught her attention.

"Fun?" she asked, surprised. "You think I was having fun?"

"Yes, you did" Keima said matter-of-factly.

"And how would you know that?"

"Because you're smiling."

Mio blinked and then realized that Keima was right – her lips were twisted into a smile. She quickly composed herself though.

And snorted.

"So? I've smiled just now. It's not a big deal."

"Just now?" Keima asked, raising his eyes to look at her. "Is your perception that bad?"

"W-what do you mean?" she should snap at him, but his eyes rooted her on the spot and stuttering was all she could manage.

"You have been smiling since the first slide. When we rode a second time you were laughing half the way and didn't stop when we crashed" Keima explained, while Mio just continued to look at him surprised. "And you've been smiling since then. When you were throwing snowballs, when we were walking here, you were smiling all along."

Mio didn't reply, only one sentence running through her mind.

 _Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap..._

"And there's one more thing you failed to notice" Keima said as he put his hand inside his pocket and then put something on the table in front of Mio. It was a pair of hairpins.

A pair of red triangular hairpins.

Mio gasped and turned to see her reflection in the window, but it was true – her hair was loosened. And kinda messy. She quickly used her hands to make herself look more presentable.

How was that possible?

"It got like this after we crashed and your hairpins were lying in the snow" Keima explained, before looking at her again. "And by the way – I suggest you wear your hair like that when you're with me. It's harder to recognize you that way."

Luckily, Keima returned to his game after that, so he wasn't able to see the luminescent blush on Mio's face.

She had blundered... How could she not realize such thing? Keima just proved he was just as observant as ever. Mio suddenly felt powerless. It was almost as if he was the one who was conquering her, but it wasn't. Keima was probably just being ignorant as usual.

And thank god for that...

(* * *)

After that Mio gave up trying to start any meaningful conversation, wanting only to end this for today before she could embarrass herself more.

The next day the school resumed and Mio found herself lying her head on her school desk, ignoring the droning of the teacher and thinking about what happened yesterday.

Even if Keima didn't really see through her then it was far too close of a call to leave it like that. I mean, she wasn't supposed to enjoy a little sled slide like that! She was almost seventeen for crying out loud! She wasn't a little kid! And Keima was _not_ her father! What made her lower her guard around him like that?

Scratch that... she knew what _exactly_ made her do that. Keima just had that kind of effect on her and Mio underestimated him. She needed to be more careful, going fast wasn't as important.

And this meant she needed to think about what to do next. Should she just focus on him tutoring her? But she had already made a deal with him, so she couldn't just back out like that. Maybe she should have him think about an activity next time around? Yeah, that's right. Why was she the one planning the encounters anyway?

Despite this Mio remained vigilant throughout the week, not wanting to bump into Keima in the corridors. Moreover, she was a little down and this didn't go unnoticed by Tsukiyo and Urara. The first gave her this "I told you so" look once, but after that tactfully avoided the issue. Urara was less subtle and questioned Mio whether she needed some help, but Mio snapped after the third attempt, saying that she was fine.

The fact that Yui posed a constant threat didn't help either. Mio was wary of it, but she was nowhere near ready to wage open war with the drummer, so for now the only thing she did was to have Urara busy Yui once every few days.

"I told you to loosen your hair" Keima said the next Sunday as soon as he arrived with his notes. This was also a problem – Mio only used one fourth of his notes so far, as he was already bringing her stuff for the next year. At this rate Keima will have nothing to teach her by the time January is out.

What was she supposed to do then?

"Hello to you too" Mio said back, a little harsher than she intended. "And why would I listen to you? Are you my hair stylist now or something?"

"It was merely suggesting it for the sake of concealment. Nothing else" Keima replied, before handing her the basic notes. "Anyway, I have made some research on your teachers, so these should allow you better performance on tests."

"Geez... I told you I don't need anything more than 70%" Mio said, but inside she was touched by his efforts.

"In that case you should be able to keep you current performance more easily."

"Thank you... I guess" she told him, putting the notes inside her bag. "So what do you have for me today, Katsuragi-sensei?" she asked teasingly, her mood slightly improved.

"That's what I would like to know" he replied. "What will it be today? Another snowball? Making snowman? Skiing?"

"Is it a problem?" she asked a little afraid that he didn't want to do it anymore.

"I just want to know beforehand, so I can prepare."

"Then you should mail me earlier" Mio replied. "Besides, life is not a game. It's not like you can prepare for everything. Trust me, I know."

"So you're not going to answer me?" Keima concluded and Mio sighed.

"Well, I can't answer because I don't have anything planned for today" she admitted. "How about you choose our destination today?"

"I thought that the point of it was you helping me."

"And I thought it was about _you_ helping _me_ as well" Mio countered and it seemed to hit the mark.

"Fine" Keima said. "But don't blame me if you don't like it."

Mio nodded, mildly satisfied and Keima was just about to start with the tutoring, when the door to the diner they were staying in opened and a person entered.

"Awah~ I didn't expect winter to be this cold" the person complained. Truth be told, Mio wasn't even listening. It was just another commoner after all. She was thus surprised when Keima flinched and reacted with panic.

"What's wrong?" Mio asked. The answer came quickly after.

"Waaah!" Mio turned to locate the source of this strange cry. What she saw was a young dark-haired girl dressed in a bright red jacket. And Mio immediately recognized that person.

"Mio-chan" Eri Katsuragi exclaimed happily.

Normally, Mio would get angry at a commoner calling her like that. But there were a few problems with that. First, Eri wasn't exactly a commoner. Second, she was the sister of Mio's crush. And what was she doing here anyway? Luckily she was alone, but that didn't change the fact Eri just caught Mio and Keima.

This was bad.

Wait, she still didn't spot Keima, so if Mio were to act quick enough-

"Oh" Eri got closer. "You're here with someone?" then she went silent as she noticed the person sitting in front of Mio. Keima was using his look-like-a-regular-customer technique, but it turned out it wasn't enough.

"Ah! Nii-sama!" Eri exclaimed loud enough, to catch the attention of the few customers present. "What are you doing here?"

"Not so loud, idiot!" Keima hissed and pulled Eri inside the booth. "Think before you speak, you devil!"

"That's mean, nii-sama!" Eri whined, but then quickly turned back to the previous topic. "What are the two of you doing together on Sunday?"

"It's not what it looks like!" Keima and Mio both said at the same time. Then they blinked, looked at each other and sat down in surprise, anger and embarrassment. By this time Mio was certain.

It was a disaster!

"Mio-san has asked me to help her with her studies, so it couldn't be helped" Keima explained as if it was obvious.

"Really" Elsie said quietly, digesting the information. "But you haven't helped me with my studies, nii-sama!"

"You're being annoying" Keima said. "Chihiro and Miyako should help you plenty."

"But couldn't Mio-chan learn from Urara-chan?" Eri asked and Keima's eyebrow twitched. Mio could almost hear what he was thinking right now. It was something along the lines of 'couldn't you be so sharp and observant all the time?'

However, Eri's point was valid and somehow Mio got the impression that the girl was trying to stake a claim to Keima. And this made Mio snap.

"W-what? I needed Katsuragi to teach me just a _little_ bit, so he is teaching me!" she said, standing up. "And it's Mio-sama to you!"

Eri blinked and leaned back a little and Mio cursed inwardly. She possibly just made an enemy out of Keima's sister. Great. Just great.

"Ah, my bad!" Eri said. "But why are you doing it here?" she asked.

"What's wrong with this place?" Mio asked eyeing Eri carefully. "Or maybe you have any better ideas?"

"Of course I do!" Eri exclaimed happily. "Why don't you study at our house?"

Mio's and Keima's eyes met and they gulped. They both knew that going to Café Grandpa was not the best of ideas.

"So... what do you say?" Eri continued.

Keima shot Mio a look which she read as 'let me deal with it, just agree with everything I say'.

"I promised Mio-san I'll be tutoring her privately" Keima told Eri. "And I don't have time to teach a horde of girls. So if someone learns about it then it'll be a problem."

"You don't have to worry about me! I won't tell anyone!" Eri exclaimed loud enough for everyone in the room to hear her.

Keima and Mio groaned simultaneously.

"Fine by me" Keima said and then turned to Mio. The girl didn't like the idea of going to Keima's house at all, but she knew it was better to placate Eri. Anything that lowered the chances of the girl talking about it, especially to Yui, was welcome.

"Seems I have no choice" Mio said in a haughty tone, crossing her arms over her chest.

Eri's face immediately lit up.

"Yay! Let's get going then!"

 **(* * *)**

 **So, here it is – Keima continues to tutor Mio, the two of them engage in pretty childlike winter activities and Mio has fun without even noticing...**

 **...and then Eri appears and brings the study session to** **Café Grandpa! I wonder how Mari's gonna react to all of this. Are you? Then you'll have to wait for the next chapter. ;)  
**

 **As a side note, there was a better cliffhanger moment later on, but then this chapter would be some 8000 words, while the next would be much shorter, so I decided to do it like that. Just sayin'.**

 **Also, today's reference is brought to you by Hulk from The Avengers... puny god. ;) And I suppose everyone can guess why Eri is wearing red winter clothes. ;)  
**

 **Anyway, it's unlikely for the next chapter to appear in a week, but I'll try to post it before the end of May.**

 **See you next time!**

 **(* * *)**

 **And finally here is the pokemake for Sumire's conquest. Man... this took a while. It's true that it's long however. I'm not really sure why it ended that way... Anyway enjoy!**

 **Elsie used Flash(back). Elsie tells a story!**

 **(* * *)**

 **The Ramen Elder used Bide. The Ramen Elder appreciates the ramen fully.**

 **The Ramen Elder used Swallow. But it failed!**

 **The Whole-roasted Dragon woke up! The Whole-roasted Dragon used Bite. It's super effective!**

 **The Ramen Elder fainted!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Elsie wants to eat ramen. It doesn't affect enemy Keima.**

 **Elsie used Flail. Elsie used Nag. It's super effective!**

 **Wild ramen chef conquest target Sumire appears!**

 **Sumire used Shove. Sumire used Order Ramen. It's super effective! Hit 3 times!**

 **Sumire used Swallow. It's super effective! The shop is out of soup!**

 **Elsie used Order Ramen. But it failed!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Wild Sumire appears again!**

 **Sumire used Order Ramen. Hit 3 times!**

 **Sumire used Ramen Eater. It's super effective! The shop is out of soup!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Sumire used Coffee With Milk Drink. It's not very effective.**

 **Sumire is confused! Sumire mixed ramen with coffee in her confusion!**

 **Sumire used Coffee With Ramen Drink. It's disgusting!**

 ** **(* * *)****

 **Wild Sumire appears again!**

 **Elsie used Hagoromo. Elsie used String Shot. Elsie used Bind. Sumire is unable to move!**

 **Elsie used Order Ramen. Elsie used Absorb. It's delicious!**

 **Keima used Growl. Keima insulted ramen. Sumire used Glare.**

 **Sumire used Order Ramen. But it failed! Sumire's defense sharply fell!**

 **Doro! Doro! Doro!**

 ** **(* * *)****

 **Keima and Elsie enter Uemoto-ya.**

 **Wild Sumire appears! Elsie and Keima are confused!**

 **Keima and Elsie used Transform. Keima and Elsie transformed into normal customers! Keima used Order Ramen.**

 **Keima and Elsie used Swallow. It's delicious!**

 **Sumire used Chatter. Shop owner used Disable. Sumire's Chatter was disabled!**

 **The shop owner is Sumire's father!**

 **Sumire and her father used Argument! Elsie feels uncomfortable!**

 **Keima used Facade. Keima transformed into Cheerful Keima!**

 **Keima used Helping Hand. Keima wants to work in Uemoto-ya!**

 **Sumire used Look Closer. Sumire's doubt rose! Sumire used Pound!**

 **Keima used Happy Hour. Sumire's father accepts. Sumire's defense greatly fell!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Keima used Happy Hour. Keima used Elsie's Broom. It's super effective! Except the eyes.**

 **Sumire used Taunt. Keima used Sweep. It's super effective! Are? The shop is sparkling!**

 **Sumire's defense fell!**

 ** **(* * *)****

 **Keima used Quick Math. Sumire's defense fell!**

 **Keima used Shadow Sneak. Keima remains a shadow, so customers can focus on their meal. Sumire's defense fell! Hoo... Sumire's father is impressed.**

 ** **(* * *)****

 **Sumire's father used Make Ramen. But it failed! The shop is closed for today!**

 **Sumire used Rage! Sumire's attack rose!**

 **Keima used Encore. Keima is cheering for Sumire! Sumire's confidence rose!**

 **Sumire uses Chatter. Nothing happened. Sumire used Request. Sumire wants Keima to try her ramen!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Sumire used Make Ramen. Sumire created a sweet ramen! Keima's defense greatly fell!**

 **Keima used Swallow. Keima is poisoned! Keima fainted!**

 **Sumire's father appeared! Sumire's father used Water Sport. Sumire's father poured out the sweet ramen (good riddance!).**

 **Sumire's father used Disable. Sumire's ability to use the kitchen has been disabled! Sumire's defense fell!**

 **Sumire's father got away safely!**

 **Sumire used Grab. Keima is partially trapped! Sumire asked Keima to her food sampler. Keima is unable to escape!**

 ** **(* * *)****

 **Sumire used Transform. Sumire is now wearing casual clothes!**

 **Sumire used Cola. Sumire made Cola-flavor Ramen. Keima's defense greatly fell!**

 ** **(* * *)****

 **Keima used Stockpile.**

 ** **(* * *)****

 **Keima used Stockpile. Sumire used Blush.**

 ** **(* * *)****

 **Keima used Stockpile. Keima is unable to move! Keima flinched!**

 **Elsie used Suspicious Ingridients! Elsie made Ramen from Hell.**

 **Keima used Rollout. Keima got awat safely!**

 ** **(* * *)****

 **Sumire's father used Chatter. Sumire's father used Wish. Sumire's father wishes for a better life for Sumire.**

 ** **(* * *)****

 **Sumire used Make Sweet Ramen. Hit 53 times!**

 **Sumire used Chopstick. Sumire used Tonkotsu Nickname. But it failed! Sumire's defense fell!**

 **Keima used Swallow. Huh? It's edible! Sumire's defense greatly rose!**

 **Sumire used Grab. Keima flinched!**

 **Sumire is too close! Sumire's defense fell! Sumire's defense rose!**

 **Sumire used Blush. Sumire wishes to make ramen for Keima!**

 **Sumire's father appears! Sumire used Ramen Answer. It doesn't affect Sumire's father!**

 **Sumire's father used Fling (with ramen). Sumire's father used Leer. Sumire's father's eyes are revealed!**

 **Sumire's father got away safely!**

 **Sumire's defense greatly fell!**

 **Keima used Foresight. Keima can see the ending!**

 ** **(* * *)****

 **Sumire got awat safely. But it failed!**

 **Keima used Grab. Keima sat on Sumire. Sumire is unable to move!**

 **Keima used Order Ramen. Sumire is making ramen for Keima!**

 ** **(* * *)****

 **Sumire's father used Sake Drink.**

 **Keima appears. Keima used Quit.**

 **Keima used Order Ramen. But it failed! There are no soup or noodles left!**

 **Elsie used Hagoromo. Huh? There are some soup and noodles left!**

 **Sumire's father sued Chatter. Keima used Smile.**

 **Sumire's father used Ramen. Keima used Mimic. Keima used Sumire's ramen! It's super effective! Sumire's father defense greatly fell! Critical hit!**

 **It turns out Sumire's learned Make Ramen by breeding!**

 **Sumire's father used Sketch. Uemoto-ya is now know as Sumire-ya!**

 **Sumire's father got aways safely**

 ** **Keima and Sumire used Happy Hour.** Keima and Sumire used Celebrate.**

 ** **(* * *)****

 **Keima used Farewell. Sumire used Bestow. Keima has Donburi!**

 **Sumire used Apology. Sumire used Sweet Kiss!**

 **The loose soul appears! Elsie used Imprison. Loose soul in custody!**


	5. Flag 45: The invitation

**Hello, I'm back!**

 **I don't really have much time, so let's be "quick".**

 **First, sorry that I took that long to post, but the number of things I have to work on reached it's maximum and I struggled to give you this chapter. Moreover, I will be pretty busy until June 17th and after that it's not guaranteed to be much better, so the next chapter might not appear for another two or three weeks. Sorry. On the other hand, this chapter has almost 10000 words! I really should divide it into two, but the cliffhangers would divide it into one short chapter and one long one, so I decided not to do it.**

 **Oh, and sorry for the typos, weird sentences and "glued italized words" – I posted this chapter in a hurry. I just hope you'll like it.**

 **As usual, I want to thank you very much about for your supports and your reviews. Here are the replies.**

 **NotAnAuthor504:** Thank you for your suggestions. Well, the first and the third were not correc, so changes were necessary. However, in first one it's neither "are" nor "don't". It's "do" :). And the second one is fine, I think. And snowball fights for the win! I wonder what you'll think about this chapter then. ;)

 **DarkBladerZX:** Glad you liked it. :)

 **ZelgadisGW:** Well, he has that kind of effect on girls in general. At least some girls. Internet cookie? More like internet shōbōsha! ;)

 **Shawn Raven:** Partnership, relationship, can anyone tell the difference? :) And, fortunately, Keima remains dense about Mio's intentions as well. I wonder for how long though. :) Why so poker face? 'Cause it's Keima, duh... ;) As for Mari... well... we'll see. ;)

 **Sasori:** I agree with everyinthg. As for Haqua, I don't know when she will appear next in MioNomi and I'm not really sure she will at all. But Haqua will her a whole story dedicated to her, so just be patient. And Eri's red clothes are meant to symbol her firetruck obsession. :) And I think it's too early for Christmas.

 **Solasyafiq:** Hello. For some reason I wasn't notified that you left me reviews and this is rare. And yeah, I'm always happy to see new KamiNomi fanfics too. And I would gradly write more, but I just don't have the time. As for a fanfic with Mari. Frankly, I didn't think about that at all. Writing about Mari and Keiichi would be difficult as we know very little about them – I would have to make up things and I'm not a really a fan of that. I was never that much of a fan of Mari (let alone Keiichi). And most important of all: I don't have time for that kind of fic – the KeimaxGirls kind of stories take priority. Thus, it is rather unlikely that I'll write MarixKeiichi fanfic. Sorry.

 **Okay, that's. Let's get to it!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

"Mom!" Eri said as soon as she entered the Café Grandpa through the main door, despite the "closed" sign. Keima and Mio were following some distance behind her, treading through the snow covering the lawn.

"No offense, But your sister is a loudmouth" Mio said. "And I mean the loud part."

"No argument there" Keima replied. "But for now she's not the problem. It's my mother."

Mio bit her lip, knowing how true Keima's words were, even if he didn't mean it like she did. It's not like Mio was afraid of Mari Katsuragi in general. Yes, Mari was a former biker and Mio wasn't exactly perfect girlfriend material, but she was certain that Keima's mom would get ecstatic at the perspective of Keima having _any_ real girlfriend. Thus, Mio was certain that Mari would support her.

So, no, Mio wasn't afraid that Mari would not approve of her. Her own mother approving of Keima was much more difficult, but at the moment Mio wasn't concerned with this either. Actually, it was the opposite. The problem with either of their mothers getting involved in Mio and Keima's budding relationship was that it could blow Mio's cover. She could already see it – a caring mother making obvious hints at how wonderful would it be for both teenagers to get together. Keima would then realize Mio's plan and the entire... conquest would go to New Hell.

Thus, Mio walked over the threshold hesitantly, feeling as if she just entered a lion's den. Calm down, girl, she told herself. Just calm down, let Keima do the talking and don't make an ass of yourself.

"Mom, are you here?" Eri said a little louder and for a moment Mio hoped that both of Keima's parents were out on a Sunday.

"Yes, what is it?" Mari Katsuragi said as she entered the café from the other part of the house, a plate in her hand, and then stopped when she noticed Mio.

"Good day... umm... Katsuragi-san" Mio said, trying for a polite tone.

"Good day" Mari responded. "Who might you be?"

Mio and Keima both opened their mouths to answer, but Eri beat them to a punch.

"This is Mio Aoyama-sama. Nii-sama promised to tutor her!" she explained.

"Sama?" Mari repeated and then rolled her eyes a little. "Eri, you need to stop calling people like that."

"But..." Eri started, fidgeting uncomfortably and Mio sniggered inwardly – Mari obviously didn't know why her daughter called them like that. However, the topic was immediately forgotten when Mari's eyes fixed on Mio.

And there it was – this "my son brought a _girl_ home" kinda look.

"It took us long enough to get here" Keima told Mio, before Mari could utter another word. "Let's go."

(* * *)

Mio thought that Keima would lead her to his room, so he could play his games and she was both nervous and irritated by it. However, when they walked up to the second floor, Eri grabbed his brother's arm and whispered something to him. Mio didn't know what it was, but the end result was that she was now studying inside of Eri's room.

Mio's experience with common houses was next to none. She herself lived only in a mansion and in one small dirty apartment, so this kind of _normal_ house was a first to her. Well, the house itself was normal, all right, but except for a few things. First was, obviously, the café. Second was Keima's room (Mio didn't have to go in there to know how it looked). And the third was Eri's room.

It was both orderly and chaotic at the same time. All the furniture was immaculately clean, but a lot of stuff were placed where it clearly didn't belong. The wall space could be divided into three parts – dedicated to Kanon Nakagawa, the 2-B pencils and firetrucks respectively.

Mio was sitting by the desk, as Eri let her use it. The former devil was lying on the bed, browsing through some magazine and Keima was just sitting on the ground – apparently a PFP in hand was all he needed. Study-wise it was a nice setting... but crush-wise it was a blunder. Not only was there a high chance of blowing her cover, but the presence of Eri made it impossible to even think about making any moves.

And there there was knocking on the door.

"Yes?" Eri said.

The door opened and in came Mari Katsuragi with a small tray of snacks. This was a little surprising, as Mio expected either a really big tray or no tray at all.

And speaking of surprises... Mari had this... disappointed look in her eyes. As if she expected Keima, his sister and Mio to get... frolic as soon as the door were closed. Considering Mio's height and all... did Mari even know how old she was?

"Oh, thanks mom" Eri stood up to grab a snack, but Mari lifted it out of her reach.

"It's for the guest. Mainly" she said and then leaned forward to whisper something into Eri's ear and the girl whispered something back. Keima didn't react to any of it.

Mari walked to the desk and put the tray down on it.

"Here you are, honey" she said. "Oh, I mean Aoyama-san" she somehow reminded Mio of her own mother.

"T-thank you" the girl replied. "But I wouldn't want to abuse your hospitality."

"On the contrary" Mari said, smiling. It was a gentle smile. And that's why Mio gulped. "We would be honored if you could join us for dinner."

Keima didn't really react. Eri didn't seem too surprised either. Actually, the girl nodded her head slightly, conveying the message 'you should agree, it's better not to anger mom.'

(* * *)

"I really shouldn't. My mother will worry" Mio said, but she sensed it was a pointless struggle – she was sitting by the dining table, after all.

"Well, at first I was hesitant as well, because I thought, excuse me for saying this, that you were a middle schooler" Mari replied as she put more plates on the table. "But my daughter assured me you're the same age as her. And I can drive you home if necessary, so it shouldn't be a problem."

Mio wanted to argue more, especially since she knew what kind of driving Mari Katsuragi did, but Keima shot her a glance, so she decided to stay quiet and wait for next question.

"So... are you and my children classmates?"

"No, I'm in a different class."

"Yet, my son is tutoring you" Mari noticed making all three teenagers flinch. "Are you paying him?"

"No, she's not" Keima answered for Mio.

"So why are you helping her?" Mari asked, before turning to face Keima. "Did you... help her before too?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because Eri _insisted_."

Mari remained quiet for a few moments.

"Come to think of it" she turned back to Mio. "Your family name is Aoyama, right? Are you perhaps related to the Aoyama Central Industries?"

It wasn't much, but Mio felt a swell of pride.

"That's right" she replied with a satisfied smile. "My late father was the president of that company!"

"L-late father?" Mari asked.

"Yes, Mio-sama's father passed away some time ago" Eri butted in. "So Mio-sama's not rich at the moment and she has to live in this small apartment with her mother and-" she stopped when she saw Keima give her a hard look.

"I-I'm very sorry" Mari said after a longer moment of awkward silence. "I didn't know..."

"I-it's fine" Mio said, turning her head away to hide her face. "It has been a year and a half since then."

"I see..."

Thanks to the last topic the rest of the dinner passed fairly quietly and Mio was kinda thankful for that. She couldn't make a blunder if she stayed quiet, right? Of course, it wasn't completely quiet and Mari attempted to make conversation, using her talkative daughter as a proxy on more than one occasion and Mio tried to answer like a normal, polite, respectful girl. Strangely, the topics were all casual ones and they didn't touch upon Mio, Keima or any relations between the two of them, past, present or future.

However, all of this made Mio wary – as if Mari Katsuragi was a tiger ready to pounce the moment Mio dropped her guard. And Mari had a good guard-lowering weapon in her arsenal – the food. Once she finished eating Mio had to admit – Mari really knew how to cook and, more importantly, she prepared a lot. The food wasn't as exquisite or elegantly served as the dinner at the Shiratori household, but it had all it needed in terms of both quality and quantity.

Finally, when they were done, Mari stood up, took a few plates and addressed her son.

"Keima, help me with the dishes."

The gamer shot her mother a glance, but then sighed, picked some of the tableware, stood up and followed Mari into the kitchen. Apparently, he concluded that obedience was the quickest way to go about this. Mio, however, had a suspicion that Mari had Keima follow her for another objective altogether. Mio was just thinking about excusing herself and going home already, but she was brought out of her musings by some sensation.

The sensation of being watched.

Mio looked around and quickly noticed the source of the feeling – Eri was staring at her. And her gaze wasn't unfocused or passing. And it was intense. So intense, that Mio felt genuinely uncomfortable.

"Can you stop staring like that?" she asked automatically, fearing she made some faux pas or something. Eri, however, didn't stop and she got closer instead.

"W-what is it?" Mio mumbled out, leaning back, as if trying to escape. She felt... studied. Like she was some puzzle Eri tried to figure out.

At this very moment the door to the room opened and Keima walked in.

"Mom insists you stay a little more" he told Mio. The girl raised her eyebrow, but Keima only shrugged. He didn't send any signals, verbal or not, that would tell her to be on her guard or watch what she was saying, but Mio knew it was implied. Actually, it meant Keima knew she knew that without him having to tell her. The idea of him trusting her like that made Mio smile a little. She watched him clear the table and when she looked at his calm face, it reminded her of that evening at the party. For a moment a ridiculous thought struck her – she imagined she was a customer in a restaurant and Keima was her personal waiter. The thought made her blush a little.

And once again her daydream was stopped by Eri's glance. This time, however, the firetruck-loving girl's face was twisted in confusion. Mio raised her eyebrow in annoyance and Eri turned away from her... only to look at Keima, who was still busy, collecting the plates and glasses into one pile.

Eri was still for a moment and then she turned her head back to Mio, her stare blank. She then turned to Keima and then to Mio again. The same thing repeated once or twice and then Eri's eyes finally fixed on Mio.

And then Eri smiled.

It was a big, triumphant smile, a smile used when one just managed to solve some ancient riddle. A knowing smirk. And Mio knew exactly what it meant.

'I know you have a crush on my brother' this smile said. 'And I know what you're trying to do.'

Mio gulped at that, especially when Eri's smile stopped being triumphant and morphed into a sly one. A smile that made it obvious that Eri was up to something.

But what could that be? Was it 'you can count on me' kind of smile? Or was it 'get away from my nii-sama' message? Mio didn't know. Eri opened her mouth to speak, but then she stopped, as if listening.

Mio heard it too – the noise coming from the kitchen. It sounded as if Mari and Keima had an argument or at least a heated discussion. And then there was a metallic sound and Mio would bet her monthly allowance that Keima just got hit with a pot or a pan.

Half a minute later Keima and Mari entered the room and took their seats on the sofa opposite of Mio.

"Is something wrong, okaa-san?" Eri asked.

"Not at all" Mari replied. "Me and Keima just had a conversation, regarding our family situation. You know, the Christmas is around the corner and it turns out Papa might not be here this time."

Mio blinked. She knew that Keima's father was rarely at home. And the Christmas was indeed close... But why was Mari talking about this?

"And thus me and Keima reached a conclusion that we would be honored if we could have you and your mother as our guests on the Christmas Eve, Aoyma-san" Mari announced with a happy smile.

Eri blinked and looked at her mother in clear surprise. Keima glared at Mari when he heard the "me and Keima" part, but remained calm and quiet. And Mio... Mio just looked at the orange-haired woman blankly, her calm face nicely masking her shock.

Mio, Keima, Eri and their mothers together? On a Christmas Eve of all days?

No, no, no! This would be a disaster! She has to decline! And she has to do it before her mother hears of this!

"That's a great idea!" Eri said, before Mio could utter a word. "It's gonna be fun, don't you think?"

"Calm down, Eri" Mari put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "We first have to ask, Aoyama-san's mother about this, so I'm going to meet and ask her once I drive Aoyama-san home."

"Yay!" Eri exclaimed with enthusiasm of a ten year-old. "It's going to be great, don't you think, nii-sama?"

Keima openly glared at his sister and Mio didn't blame him. And as she took her seat behind Mari Katsuragi's sport bike she reached the obvious conclusion.

This year's Christmas was going to be special.

(* * *)

If it hadn't been for the terrifying prospect of the joint Christmas and even more terrifying bike ride, Mio would have burst out laughing when she saw the look on her mother face as Mari parked her bike in front of Mio's apartment. They eyes of her mother were wide as saucers, but Mio couldn't really blame her. If Mio had a daughter and saw her get off a bike and wobbling about she would be surprised too.

"Good evening" Mari said, her bike helmet in one hand as she extended the other one to Mio's mom. "I'm Mari Katsuragi."

"Mikoto Aoyama" the other woman introduced herself, shaking the offered hand uncertainly.

"I'm sorry for arriving like that" Mari continued with a smile. "But I couldn't let your daughter walk home alone at such time."

"And why was my daughter with you?" Mrs. Aoyama asked suspiciously.

"Ah, she was at my house, because my son was helping her study" Mari said, but then her brow furrowed when she saw the other woman's surprised expression. "You didn't know about that?"

"Now I do" Mrs. Aoyama said, her eyes shifting to her daughter, but she didn't seem angry. Actually, she smiled gently and Mio didn't like that smile.

Especially, since she saw a glint of recognition in her mother's eyes when the name "Katsuragi" was mentioned.

"In that case I'm grateful you brought my girl home" Mrs. Aoyama said. "Would you perhaps care to go inside for a cup of coffee?"

"Naturally" Mrs. Katsuragi said. "Especially since there's something I would like to discuss with you."

(* * *)

"And that is why I can't go to your Christmas party. Sorry" Mio said with a pang of guilt when she watched Urara's face.

"You and Katsuragi-san are going to spend Christmas together?" the other girl asked with wide eyes.

"Not so loud!" Mio chastised her, looking around and checking if there were any students walking close to them. "And you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone about this! It needs to stay a secret! You'll do it for me, right? I mean that's what friends are for."

"Friends? You didn't even tell me how did you get Katsuragi-san to tutor you" Urara complained. "Scratch that! You didn't even tell me he was helping you study! I had to figure it out myself!"

"It's a secret too! I promised Katsuragi I won't tell anyone!" Mio said, before putting her hands together in a pleading manner. "Please."

"And Tsukiyo?" Urara asked.

"You can't tell her anything either!" Mio said. "Her goddess has a tendency to interrupt, jump to conclusions and draw scissors. And I don't want that."

Urara crossed her arms over her chest and then sighed. "I still think she will find out on her own, but fine."

"So you agree?" Mio asked.

"Yes" Urara said. "But I have a condition" she added as she the other girl's relieved expression. "I want to be the maid of honor."

"Huh?" Mio mumbled out before she caught on. "I'm going to a Christmas Eve. I'm not getting _married_!" she almost shouted, her face transforming into a dangerous shade of red.

"I know, I'm just calling dibs on the position in case you're going to get married" Urara replied, a stern expression on her face, indicating she wasn't going to drop the issue. "So?"

"All right, all right, I get it... you can be... whatever you wanted to be... can we change the topic now?" Mio pleaded, noticing that several curious commoners' eyes were watching them.

"Of course we can" Urara said happily, grabbing Mio's arm "Now the other one of my original ideas comes into effect, so we have to have a strategic meeting! Like right now!"

Oh yeah, there was that other thing, Mio thought as she let herself be dragged to a secluded spot for the rest of the lunch break.

And she didn't even get to eat her omelet-soba bread today! Such a sacrifice!

This Christmas Eve thing better be good!

(* * *)

"Here will be fine. Thank you for giving us a lift" Mikoto Aoyama said to Morita before exiting the car. "Are you sure you don't want to join us? You had an official invitation, you know?"

"Thank you very much, my lady, but I have prior arrangement" the driver responded. "But I wish you a wonderful evening. The same goes for you, young lady" he added in the direction of Mio.

"Yeah, yeah" the small blonde replied with a discontented expression.

"What's wrong, Mio?" her mother asked after the car drove off. "Morita got us here and he even bought us a present, why are you acting like this?"

Mio huffed. Not only was she going to Katsuragi's house with her mother, but it almost ended with Morita coming as well. Mio actually had to pull the strings to convince Urara to convince Yanagi to convince Morita to go to the Shiratori household for tonight... so it took a lot of convincing, but it worked. However, this entire event was still full of dangerous things that were outside of Mio's control. For example...

"I didn't know we were going to a party hosted by some rich family" she said as soon as they started walking.

Her mother blinked at her.

"We're not going to a party" she replied. "And I didn't know Katsuragis were rich."

"Exactly" Mio said. "They aren't rich (especially with Keima's spendings on games). And we're not going to a party... then why am I wearing _this_?" she asked, pointing to her clothes. The dress she was wearing under her coat wasn't that formal, but it wasn't casual either. And the same could be said for her mother's clothes. Now, Mikoto Aoyama was fairly beautiful woman and it was from her rather than her father that Mio actually inherited her unusual, but natural hair color. And currently her mother was wearing a dress as well – something she hasn't done since the death of her husband.

On one side that was... heartwarming and Mio didn't want to spoil this opportunity for her mother to relax... on the other side it was a significant problem as it felt as if Mio wasn't going to a Christmas Eve, but to a party...

...or a marriage interview.

"We were invited despite not being a part of the Katsuragi family" Mrs. Aoyama said and Mio had an inkling her mother meant 'not being a part of their family... yet'. "It would be rude to go wearing casual clothes."

Unfortunately Mio couldn't fault that logic. She was just... anxious. There were so many things that could go wrong. I mean, she never really interacted much with Katsuragi until now, not even when she received the memories. And now things were going too fast and she feared she won't be able to prevent Katsuragi from suspecting something.

So yeah... she had a valid reason to be acting like this.

And when they finally turned the corner and saw their destination Mio's mood did not improve.

"Is that the place?" Mrs. Aoyama's question was rather rhetoric as the sign "Café Grandpa" was clearly visible, outlined by Christmas lights. "Look how lovely decorated it is!"

Mio looked and indeed – the building was decorated with lights, sprays of leaves and other things. There was even a snowman, with Eri's broom attached to it, in the yard. But Mio's attention was drawn to one decoration type in particular.

Mistletoes were hanging above all entrances to the house. Mio was certain they weren't there yesterday and that they won't be here tomorrow. They were just one-time traps used by Mari Katsuragi.

But Mio won't be caught so easily.

The two of them walked up to the regular entrance and Mrs. Aoyama ringed the bell. For a moment it was quiet, but then Mio could hear some commotion and the door opened. Frankly, Mio had expected Keima to be the one answering the door, but the one who did it was his mother. Then again it was logical – Mari probably wanted to lull Mio into a false sense of security only to drag her into the house and strike once she had nowhere to run.

"Welcome!" the orange-haired woman exclaimed. She wasn't wearing a dress, but her clothes were proper for the occasion as well. "Please come in! We're honored you decided to join us!"

"The pleasure is entirely ours" Mrs. Aoyama replied. "Right, Mio?"

"Yes..."

(* * *)

Mari took their coats and then led them to the part of the house where the café was and there was table already littered with food.

"Ah!" Eri, clad in her simple yet elegant purple kimono, appeared in front of them with a smile. "Good evening, you must be Mio-san's mother" the girl said, bowing slight. "I'm Eri Katsuragi, pleased to make you acquaintance!"

"My, my, how well-behaved young girl" Mrs. Aoyama said, rewarding Eri with a smile. "I'm Mikoto Aoyama and, as you guessed, I'm the mother of this little rascal here."

Mio only huffed at that.

"Nii-sama! The guests are here!" Eri exclaimed.

"I know that" the voice from behind her responded and only now did Mio notice that Keima Katsuragi was standing there. He wasn't wearing a suit this time, but a shirt. It wasn't a simple one though, but something you could call Keima's Sunday best. The boy looked considerable attentive with his gaming console nowhere in sight. Even his bed hair was fixed (probably with help from his mother).

Anyway, Keima wasn't looking as he usually did. Once again, it was probably his mother that forced him into this nice (well... nice-ish) act. Then again, both versions of Keima – the regular one and the nice-acting one – were a risk to Mio and she couldn't decide which one was a worse option in this situation.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her mother.

"Oh, so you're that mysterious boy that had been helping my daughter with her studies" Mrs. Aoyama said. "I'm glad I could finally meet you."

"Likewise" Keima responded, making a gesture to which Mrs. Aoyama immediately reacted by offering her hand to Keima and the boy gave it a chaste kiss, making Mio's jaw dislodge in shock.

Did she just see Keima Katsuragi, the _otamegane_ , actually _kiss_ a _real_ woman outside of conquest? Granted, it was just a peck on a hand and Keima probably just wanted to avoid his mother's anger... but still it wasn't like him at all.

And even worse, _her_ mother could get the wrong impression! If Keima were to continue just acting nice like that then their mothers would probably force them to marry each other!

Wait... would that really be so bad? No, no, no! That's not the point, Mio told herself. You're _not_ getting married yet and you do _not_ want Keima to be forced to be with you.

Keima then turned to Mio and his eyes locked with hers. There were no flames of passion in his gaze and his smile was forced of course, but it was far from the level of indifference he usually showed. He made that one gesture again and Mio could feel her cheeks heat up immediately. She shyly offered him her hand as well and he graced it with a chaste kiss and Mio's heart skipped a beat.

Not good.

"Now that we know each other, let's get to the table!" Mari announced. Hearing this Keima straightened himself and indicated to the table. He seemed completely ignorant that his mother, Mio's mother and Eri were currently sporting identical smiles on their faces.

Not good at all...

(* * *)

Mio wasn't really used to Christmas. The Western traditions were not very common in Japan, with Christmas being normal day for many. And often the New Years celebrations were more similar to what Christmas Eve originally looked in USA and other countries. Thus, Mio mostly associated Christmas with a combination of Valentines Day and New Year – and both had little to do with her. When comm-I mean, other regular kids went to a fast food on Christmas Eve, Mio wasn't usually with them. Of course, her father did give parties during Christmas and New Year, but those were totally on a different level.

Mio liked those though, as her family received a lot of gifts.

Aside from large-scale "business" parties, her father used to do small family meetings, just the three of them, especially when Mio was younger. However, it was a long time since she attended such small private events like the one she was attending now. And the atmosphere did seem... familial. You could just see it when you watched Mari and Eri and their smiles.

So that's how a happy regular family looks like on Christmas, huh?

Anyway, all of that might be true, but Mio couldn't let her guard down. On one hand Mari simply wanted to show Mio some of the home warmth, but there was another reason. And if Mio had any doubts about Mari's intentions then they disappeared the moment she was forced to sit besides Keima. And the worst part was that Mio couldn't really figure the boy out. He certainly didn't look ecstatic in her company, but he didn't seem nonplussed or angry either.

All of this made Mio nervous, so she tried to busy herself with the food. It was a good thing that Mari prepared a lot, so it served as a viable distraction and not only for Mio, but also for others, temporarily keeping everyone's attention from her.

"This boiled squid is delicious!" Mrs. Aoyama praised. "How do you do this, Mari-san?"

"It's because okaa-san is the mirin goddess!" Eri exclaimed happily, making Mari wave her hand in embarrassment.

"Oh, quit it!" she said.

"No, I'm serious!" Mrs. Aoyama said. "Mio, you have to try this!"

The blonde girl sighed internally and then reached for the bowl, but before she could grab it, Keima took it. Mio blinked. Then her eyes widened when Keima offered her the bowl, his face neutral, but polite.

Don't blush, just don't blush, Mio thought to herself. And thanks to this her face colored a nice common shade of pink, instead of inventing a completely new level of red.

"T-thank you" she said, feeling meek all of a sudden. Her mother, Eri, Keima's mother. Even Keima himself. Mio could deal with any of them, but not with all of them at once. She started to eat, her eyes focused on the plate, thinking that if she couldn't see the others look at her then they weren't looking at her. A dumb childish logic, but it seemed it was all she was capable of right now.

And she realized that her mother was scarcely exaggerating – the squid tasted almost _divine_.

(* * *)

After a few minutes of relative calmness the next troublesome thing started.

The questions.

At the moment they were general and innocent enough, but Mio wasn't fooled – questions about her relationship with Keima _will_ come and sooner rather than later. She could already see it. 'How did you meet?', 'what do you think of each other?' and she dreaded even thinking what else they could ask.

And what was Keima doing? What's with him not being grumpy and not playing games? This was ridiculous! This had to be a trap of some kind. Could it be that he figured out her intentions? Or their mothers? But then, why was he going along with this? It made no sense! There was no reason for him to be acting like this!

Then again... Keima was pretty dumb when it came to real-life romance and real-life matters in general, so it may be that he simply haven't noticed that him and Mio were looking almost like a couple, sitting close to each other. Well, it kinda felt as if he were her butler or waiter and that would be pretty enjoyable if they were alone and Keima was madly in love with her.

Going back to the topic, on second thought there _was_ a valid reason for him to be acting like that. Two reasons, actually. First, he was simply trying to learn about the real world by participating in an activity like this. He was probably confused and maybe even suffered a bit, but he was doing it.

And the second reason was tied to the first. The reason he was learning about the world was to get better at interacting with the real people he got close to over the past year. To understand them better. To help them. Mio was reminded of what he said after their second 'snow adventure'.

 _That's because I didn't want to spoil your fun._

Was he doing this because... he wanted her to have fun? Because he wanted her to experience a Christmas Eve dinner like this?

This thought send a wave of warmth through her. And then she felt weird. Some strange new sensation overcame her. She tried to pinpoint it and then with a surprise she realized that she could. It was the first time she ever felt it and the first time she believed such a thing was physically possible, but she knew what it was called.

Long story short, Mio now understood the reason why during winter there were no butterflies anywhere.

Because they were all currently in her stomach, having a Christmas Eve on their own.

Still, the entire thing surprised her. I mean, last time when she fell in love with Keima during her original conquest it was different. She tried to be tough and rejected any possibility of her having feelings for him. Scratch that! She couldn't reject it, because she wasn't really in love with him until the last moment – until he stole her first kiss.

But now... now Mio was aware of her feelings. She knew she liked him. And, assuming their mothers won't interfere, there was no rush – she had a lot of time to get used to that. It kinda felt like she was observing herself from the sidelines. And a sight of a young girl in love was really peculiar to her.

Yes... she was in love with Keima and it only seemed to escalate. He was slowly reducing her resistance, disarming her, stripping her of her armor bit by bit until she would no longer desire to be armored in the first place.

Damn it! How was this possible? I mean, if Keima had been trying to conquer her then she wouldn't be surprised. Mio wasn't some easy, stupid and naïve girl, but she admitted – if Keima wanted to conquer her, then he would be able to do so. Easy.

But she was almost 100% sure he was not trying to conquer her, woo her, court her or anything of the sort! He wasn't trying to court her, but she _was_ being courted. How could he do it? How could he sway her heart without even trying?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a rapping on the café door.

"Ooh" Mari Katsuragi stood up from her seat. "It seems we have an unexpected visitor!" she said, although Mio could bet a year worth of her precious sandwiches that she very well knew who the visitor was.

Mio found herself praying quietly as she watched Mari approach the door.

Please don't let it be Yui. Please don't let it be Yui. Please don't let it be Yui...

Her prayer was stopped by the voice of a person that entered the café.

"Ho ho ho!"

Mio blinked once, then twice, but it didn't help the new person was...

"Oh, look!" Mari said feigning surprise rather well. "It's the Santa Claus!"

And she was right. A freakin' Santa Claus with red clothes and white beard was standing next to her.

The Katsuragi siblings reacted in completely different way. Keima groaned in exasperation while his sister's face lit up and suddenly it seemed as if she got some boost – in a blink of an eye she was up and walking, no, bouncing towards the Santa Claus and Mio didn't know whether Eri was attracted by the red color or the perspective of presents.

No, Mio was more concerned with the identity of the obviously fake Santa Claus. That person definitely looked manly, but it wasn't Yui. Actually, it was just some common man that Mio certainly did not recognize.

"Your mother hired a Santa?" she asked Keima with disbelief in her voice.

"No" the boy replied, his fingers shaking a bit, as if he was pressing invisible buttons. "Then again, it's no wonder you don't recognize him, after all it wasn't a part of the memories."

"Huh? What do you mean? Who is that person?" Mio asked honestly curious.

"That" Keima said. "Is my father."

Mio looked at him incredulous and then turned to look back at the Santa and saw that Eri was already seated on his lap like a 8 year old kid. Let's just say that Mio completely understood Keima's opinion of the former devil cleaner.

"Were you a good girl this year?" the Santa asked.

"Yes!" Eri responded, obviously drunk on happiness, but Mio couldn't blame her. After all, it was her first Christmas in Katsuragi family. Technically, she was only a part of the family for a month and a half, so such behavior was not _that_ unnatural.

Mari and Mikoto looked at Mio and Keima, silently asking if they wanted to follow in Eri's steps, but they were met with two nearly identical glares.

The Santa Claus, who apparently was Keima's father, took a hint and grabbed the bag he brought with him and turned it upside down, spilling several packages onto the ground.

"It's presents time!" Mari exclaimed, grabbing one of the packages and approaching Mrs. Aoyama.

"You really shouldn't" the other woman started, but was cut off.

"Nonsense" Mari said and then handed Mio a bag full of her favorite sandwiches. "Keima said you really like those. It's just a side gift though" she said before turning to Keima. "How about you show Mio-san her main present?"

Keima sighed soundlessly, but complied, nodding at Mio for her to follow him.

(* * *)

"I'm sorry for my mother" the two of them said at the same time when they walked out of the room.

"A-anyway, here, your present" Mio said, handing Keima small rectangular package wrapped in decorative Christmas paper.

Keima blinked, but then took the package from her. Then his eyes seemed to shine briefly as he started to unwrap the thing, as if knowing what was inside.

"You bought me a game?" he asked once he was done.

"I knew you wouldn't see that coming" Mio said sarcastically. "But I didn't know you would be that surprised."

"It's a galge" Keima stated, as if he didn't hear her at all.

"And what you have been expecting?" she asked, crossing her hands over her chest. "Otome game? Eroge? I really just went into the store and grabbed the galge from the shelf closest to the entrance. I bet you already have a copy of this game."

"Mother had me busied with preparations, so I haven't been able to visit shops" Keima replied, his solemn tone causing Mio to stop talking. "And the shelves nearest the entrance have the newest titles" he looked up at her. "I didn't have this game" he finished, his eyes boring into hers.

"Really?" Mio asked and then cleared her suddenly dry throat. "Well, you have it now."

"I couldn't be cheap" Keima noticed, his attention still on her and not on the game.

"Don't worry, mom helped to pay for this" Mio told him. 'And not only mom' she added quietly in her mind.

"I'll be frank" Keima said. "I didn't expect this. I expected, I don't know, 'how to get over game addiction' guidebook or something."

"You could use something like that" Mio replied. "But I'll leave it to your sister. Anyway, Christmas gifts are supposed to be happy. So, Merry Christmas" she said with a smile.

"Thank you" Keima told her. Mio knew he could get emotional when playing a good game, but she didn't expect the look of gratitude and _respect_ he was giving her.

It was just one game. He had thousands of them.

And she had thousands of butterflies in her stomach again. Oh c'mon... it's Christmas. December. Freaking snow is falling outside! Butterflies made no sense!

She cleared her throat again.

"A-anyway" Gah! How many times did she stutter out that word in the last two minutes? "Weren't you going to give me something?" she asked.

"Oh, right. Here" Keima said, tossing Mio some red garment. The girl blinked.

"That looks like your sister's winter jacket."

"Because it is."

"W-wait, I thought you were giving me a present!" Mio cried out confused.

"I am" Keima said, already in his own jacket. "We're going outside."

(* * *)

"Please just tell me the snowman isn't my present" Mio pleaded.

"It's not" Keima said simply as he walked in front of Mio, leading her to a small shed of sorts.

He didn't buy her a screwdriver or something, did he?

Keima opened the shed and let Mio through. The girl walked inside with him following her. The shed wasn't small, but with all the stuff two people could barely fit inside. Keima closed the door, making it completely dark for a moment before he switched the light on.

Mio looked around, expecting some package lying on the table or something, but there wasn't anything like that. There were just tools, brooms and various doodads, gizmos, whatsits and...

"Hey, it's the bike you used to drive me to school with" Mio said, pointing to the bicycle propped against a wall.

"No" Keima told her simply. "The bike I used is there" he pointed at the other wall where the old, regular-looking bike was hanging. "This one" he indicated to the first bike. "Is yours."

Mio blinked. What did he mean? Mio didn't own a bike and this one looked new. And it had a red bow wrapped over it... Wait, what?

"You have to be kidding me" she mumbled out, trying and failing to keep her voice for cracking.

"Well, I know you would have preferred a carriage attached to it" Keima said, misunderstanding her words. "It is still a pretty _common_ bike, after all"

"It's beautiful..."

"Yes, it's... wait, what!?" Keima seemed to loose his cool for a moment as he watched Mio. "You... actually like it?"

Mio nodded her head, brushing her fingers over the bike's frame, completely unaware of the vulnerability she was showing. The bike was yellow and gold, just like her hair and eyes.

"And you're happy?"

"Yeah" Mio said. On a second thought though... "Gah! It's winter! I'll have to wait months to ride this!" then something else occurred to her. "Wait" she turned back to Keima. "It must've been expensive."

"It's a present from me, Eri and mother, so you don't have to worry about it" he explained. "Don't expect a present on your birthday though-ugh!"

The air was forced out of his lungs when Mio lunged at him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Wh-what" Keima started, panic in his voice.

"Thank you" Mio said, not really aware that she was hugging him and burying her head into his chest.

If Eri were here right now she would definitely notice that they looked similar to how they looked after their first kiss. However, Eri was not here, thus the two teens remained ignorant of the fact.

(* * *)

When Mio finally realized what exactly she was doing she panicked and shoved Keima back. Not too hard, but enough for his back to hit the wall of the shed lightly.

After that they walked out of the shed and Mio went first, desperately trying to hide her red face from Keima.

A trap. They were all traps intended to make her lower her guard and she fell for it.

Calm down, she told herself. It's normal to hug after being given a present like that. It didn't help, she was still nervous as they went back inside the house.

Once Mio entered the café she immediately felt something was... off. And it wasn't the look of Eri appreciating her new Kanon albums and something that looked like a fire-fighter cosplay suit. No, it was something different – it was as if the number of people in the room was off. Mio quickly looked around.

Impossibly happy Eri Katsuragi. Check.

Mio's own mother with some new clothes (apparently the present from the Katsuragis). Check.

Mari Katsuragi with a new set of manga (Mio remembered she was kind of a manga nut). Check.

Keima's father (his name was Keiichi, right?) who Mio actually saw for the first time in her life. Check.

Keima Katsuragi with an incredibly pale and scared expression on his face. Check.

Wait, what?

Mio followed his line of sight, wondering what got him so spooked, and her gaze landed on a new person that wasn't there before. And this person was a man.

Well, kinda.

"Oh... it's you, Mio, Merry Christmas!" Yui Goidō exclaimed happily.

(* * *)

"If I knew you and your mother were here too, I would buy you presents too" Yui said to Mio as soon as they were back by the table.

"Likewise" the blonde girl replied.

It wasn't a lie as Mio _would_ buy _something_ for her, but it didn't change the fact that the presence of Yui was really troublesome. The drummer wasn't wearing a dress of course, but something akin to formal businesswoman clothes, similar to Mari Katsuragi. However, the clothes wasn't what worried Mio. No, what worried her was the reason Yui was here and that reason was clearly to... conquer Keima.

To Yui's credit she wasn't being _too_ obvious. She did get presents for all four people in Keima's family. Even his father. And those presents were kind of expensive and... enough said. Moreover, Yui didn't jump Keima nor said anything _too_ outrageous that would reveal she was obsessed with him. And she tried to make conversations with everyone. In other words, she tried to score as many points with Keima's family as possible. Actually, if Yui and Mari combined their forces they could simply force Keima into the relationship with the drummer.

Thank god, there was a serious obstacle to this in the form of Yui's mother.

Keima himself seemed rather wary of Yui and Mio could bet the boy was grateful he was seating between Mio and his sister. Mio herself was grateful for such seating arrangement as well. As such there was only one real problem left at the moment.

And that problem was named Eri Katsuragi.

Mio still didn't know whether the girl approved of her as possible romantic partner for Keima and Yui only complicated things. Both girls were a part of the 2-B Pencils band and Eri was certainly closer to Yui than she was to Mio.

"Still, it's hard to believe no-one expected me" Yui remarked in thought. "There was a plate prepared for me, after all."

"That's a Christmas tradition found in Europe" Keima said. "You leave one spot for an unexpected guests" he explained.

"Really?" Mrs. Aoyama said suddenly. "You certainly know a lot Keima-kun"

"It happens in games" the boy simply said.

"Anyway, Yui was saying you two are classmates" Mari said, turning to Mio.

"That's right, but we are also childhood friends" Yui replied. "Oh... and we're also riv-"

"She's also a drummer in your sister's band, right" Mio asked Keima, possibly to stop Yui from saying too much.

"Oh, so you're _her_ " Mari said before Keima could open his mouth, her voice suddenly different, her gaze traveling from Yui to Keima rather than Eri. "Then I presume you know my son a bit as well."

"Oh... I know him quite well" Yui said and Mio realized she was hinting at her time spent in Keima's body and she inadvertently gritted her teeth. "But I wouldn't mind getting to know him a little better" Yui finished winking at Keima. At this point Keima's father, who was gorging himself on his wife's food and made little indication he was even following the conversation, made a choking sound and raised his head to look at Yui in shock.

"Has my son helped you in the past by any chance?" Mari asked.

"Ahaha... I guess you could say that" Yui replied, but then quickly took one of the bowls on the table. "Oh... it's boiled squid. I'm sure it tastes divine."

Mari frowned at the obvious attempt to change the topic and then continued to look between Mio and Yui. Mrs. Aoyama had a confused look on her face as well. Keima's father seemed completely lost. Eri was fidgeting a little.

"Your mother is a really great cook, Eri" Yui said.

"Umm... yeah, thanks" the fire-truck lover replied with unusual uncertainty in her voice, but Mio couldn't blame her – Yui's eye were not trained on Eri or Mari, but on Keima and there was something in her gaze that their parents would've missed, but Keima and Mio didn't. Even Eri knew what it meant.

Yui Goidō surveyed her prey and was making preparations to strike.

The prey wasn't defenseless, however. Keima reached with his hand and grabbed another bowl and offered it to Mio with a smile. A charming kind of smile.

"I see your plate is empty, my lady" he noticed. "Would you care for another serving?"

It was Mari and Mrs. Aoyama's turn to choke on the food. Eri opened and closed her mouth as if she was a Christmas carp. Mio was dumbstruck for a moment too, except for her arteries, which pumped a healthy amount of blood to her cheeks, and then she nodded weakly.

Keima dished up her plate and then took a bottle of juice and Mio instinctively offered him her glass for him and he filled it as if he was her waiter.

"Thank you" she said playing the part of a customer and smiling lightly at him, an air of nobility around her.

Mari, Keiichi, Eri and Mrs. Aoyama watched them for a moment and then switched to look at Yui. Mio used this opportunity and sent Yui a small triumphant smile. She really knew she shouldn't.

But she just couldn't stop herself.

Yui paled just a little bit before she cheered up as if nothing happened and proceeded to strike conversation with Keima's father.

And Mio had to use all of her willpower to stop herself from sniggering.

(* * *)

"Thank you for having us. We had a great time" Mrs. Aoyama said as she and Mio were readying to leave.

"It was pleasure to have you as guests" Mari said and Keima reached for Mrs. Aoyama and Mio's coats, but he was stopped by Mrs. Aoyama's voice.

"Oh, I forgot I need to call our driver first."

"That won't be necessary" Yui said, walking closer with a smile. "I already contacted Okamoto, so I can give you a lift."

"Thank you" Mrs. Aoyama said, although with limited enthusiasm.

Mio narrowed her eyes at Yui. The drummer was up to something. Well, it was better to deal with it once they were outside.

Anyway... this Christmas Eve thing was not so bad, after all. Mio managed to get a little closer to Keima, keep their parents from saying too much and she didn't mess things up. Of course, she still had to deal with Yui, but overall she did good.

Thus, Mio was actually in good mood as she stepped forward to retrieve her coat. And then a few things happened all at once. Keima hissed. Eri's and Keiichi's eyes widened, Mari and Mio's mother gasped dramatically and Yui laughed nervously.

"Why didn't I think of _that_?" the drummer mused loud enough for Mio to hear. The blonde girl blinked in surprise, hoping that she misunderstood something, then she looked up and realized that she didn't.

She had just stepped closer to Keima, barely a meter in between them. And a mistletoe was hanging above them.

Mio felt her stomach fall and she turned her head, looking around, hoping that the others besides Yui didn't actually notice. They did... if Eri's shining eyes, Yui's troubled expression and the camera in Mari's hands were any indications.

Mio gulped and looked at Keima, hoping that the gamer was enough genre-savvy and clear-minded to run away by now. Her hopes were crushed, however, as Keima was just standing there motionless, as if he was afraid something would happen if he were to move.

Mio didn't know what to think about it either. Going all happy and forcing the kiss would be bad, right? Then again, acting all disgusted wasn't good in long-term as well. What was she supposed to do?

It seemed her embarrassment did the deciding for her. She turned to the side, her face red, her cheek exposed to Keima. With some luck it would be interpreted as anger... and if not... she had the right to be embarrassed, right?

She could practically feel the pressure emanating from both of their mothers. Ugh... couldn't Keima just man up and do it? She even gave him the option to kiss her on the cheek. And if he wasn't going to do it right this instant then she would just kiss him on the cheek instead. She was just about to do it when she felt something.

It wasn't the feeling of Keima's lips on her cheek. And not even on her mouth. No, it was the feeling of her head turning to face him... without her consent. It was as if some magical force was moving her body.

Wait... it wasn't magical. She could clearly feel something touching her body. Like hands.

"Don't struggle" she heard a quiet, authoritative and undoubtedly female voice coming from behind her. Surprisingly, the voice was coming from below, as if the owner of the voice was even shorter than Mio was.

Now, how many short _invisible_ females did Mio know?

She looked up at Keima (she had no choice anyway) and saw that he had a surprised expression on his face... then he made a strange motion with his arms, but it was cut short as if his arms were restrained by someone.

And then Mio heard a quiet whisper coming from Keima that couldn't be his voice.

"Hiiii..."

"Nora!" Keima hissed, but then he jolted, moving forward. Mio felt a push herself and she struggled.

In vain.

"Merry Christmas!" Nora's hushed whisper was the last thing Mio heard before her and Keima's lips crashed into each other.

It was too sudden. Too forced. Not to mention it was done in public. Completely different than the kiss she shared with him at the party.

Finally, the pressure on her back subsided and Mio pulled back from Keima, her eyes wide with shock. And if Keima's face was _that_ red then hers had to be... She looked away from him, her gaze landing on her own mother. Ugh... she moved her gaze further only for her eyes to meet Yui's.

"Nice" the cross-dressed said with an air of manly competition. "But I still win 3 to 2."

"What does that mean?" Keiichi asked through his shock, but fortunately was ignored.

Well... at least Mio didn't hear the telltale sound of a picture being taken, so it could be worse.

"Great" Mari said with glee. "I recorded a movie!"

Correction. It was worse.

Apparently, Mio wasn't the only one who thought that, as Keima walked past her and headed for the stairs.

"Goodnight" he said to all present.

"Wait, nii-sama, where are you going?"

Eri's question was answered when she heard the sound of the door to her brother's room closing.

(* * *)

"It was good to see you again, Okamoto" Mrs. Aoyama said as she exited the car.

"Likewise" the woman replied. "Let's go, Mio."

Mio couldn't agree more. She wanted nothing more, but to go to bed and end this day.

"Mio-chan!" Yui called out to her. "Can I have a word with you?"

Oh, crap...

"Y-yeah, sure..."

(* * *)

"So you're after Keima-kun" Yui said bluntly. And this wasn't a question.

Mio huffed indignantly, but answered nonetheless. "You don't seem surprised."

"Why would I be?" Yui asked. "It's Keima-kun."

"So? You're saying it like he's some kind of chick magnet" Mio replied. Actually, Keima kinda _was_ a chick magnet and it kinda was bothering her. "He's just a nerd."

"Well, it's not like the entire Japan female population is after him... but I'm sure there's enough girls after him to fill a classroom" Yui said. "The strange thing is... they seemed to give up. All except you."

"And you" Mio replied, her arms crossed over her chest.

"So, it's war" Yui declared with a smile.

"Your words, not mine" Mio noticed.

"It's fine, we wouldn't want it any other way" Yui said with a determined expression. "After all, Mars is a goddess of war and love."

"If your trying to intimidate me then it's not working" Mio narrowed her eyes.

"How about you give up?" Yui was persistent. "You know I can tell Keima-kun you're after him? He already knows about me, but for you... I think you wanted to keep it a secret."

"Do what you want. I'll manage" Mio was likely unaffected. "But that doesn't change a fact that I have a huge advantage over you."

"What do you mean?" Yui seemed surprised a little. "Are you talking about being short, hot-tempered and flat-chested?"

Mio knew Yui meant it as honest question and not a jab, but it still got her angry.

"No!"

"Then what?"

Mio huffed. "Why should I tell you? We're enemies when it comes to Katsuragi."

"But in other aspects we're still friends, right?" Yui asked and Mio realized that this was actually important to her.

"Yeah, I guess so" Mio said slowly. "As long as you're not too... pushy."

"So... whoever wins, no hard feelings, right?" Yui said, offering her hand and Mio shook it.

"Whatever... I'm still going to win" the blonde said, before shivering. "It's cold. I'll see you some other time. See you."

(* * *)

"Mio, darling, can we talk for a moment?" her mother asked as soon as Mio went inside her apartment.

"Please mom... not now... I'm really tired" the blonde girl replied. "Look, I promise I will answer all... most of your questions tomorrow. Can I just go to sleep?"

Mikoto Aoyama scrutinized her daughter before sighing.

"All right, but you're not going out of this talk tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah..." Mio replied. She really just wanted to take off this dress and drop on her bed.

And as she was lying and trying to fall asleep her mind went back to that unexpected kiss she had with Keima. It certainly wasn't the kind of kiss she wanted – that was certain. But now that she thought about it, having an unsatisfying kiss like that had one more effect on her.

Her desire to get a _real_ kiss was now increased tenfold.

(* * *)

"You have some guts" Keima said as soon as he closed the door to his room.

"You mean forcing you to kiss that girl?"

"No, I mean playing on _my_ PFP."

Rimyuel looked as if she didn't hear him and continued to play, while sitting on the floor. Well, at least she wasn't sitting on his throne.

"Anyway, can I know _why_ did you do _that_?" Keima asked, this time referencing the kiss.

"Didn't you ask us to do that?" Rimyuel asked, her brows furrowing when she got stuck in the game.

"No. I asked Nora, to keep Yui from doing anything too drastic."

"And it worked" Rimyuel noticed, her voice even as always.

"Only temporarily" Keima said, taking his PFP from her hands. "She will be back with more strength... and what you did with Mio was... unnecessary."

"I don't understand" Rimyuel almost pouted at him. "What's so wrong about that?"

"You made us kiss each other in front of our parents!" Keima half-shouted.

"You kissed her before" Rimyuel.

"That was for a conquest!"

"And you kissed me repeatedly."

"It was _you_ who kissed _me_! All those time except the first one!" Keima pointed at her before sighing. "Can you leave? I would like to go to sleep."

"You mean 'play games', don't you?" Rimyuel asked rhetorically, before standing up. "Just so you know, me and that silver-haired devil..."

"Nora."

"Yes, we did it because she said you wanted to learn about the real world more."

That surprised Keima a little.

"R-real world? That kiss scene looked more like something from a game!"

"Then you shouldn't complain, right?" and with this Rimyuel flew out of his bedroom. Keima walked to the window, but the devil girl was already gone.

The boy sighed and then walked to his bed and lied down, before resting his hand on his head. He really needed to do something about Yui, there was no question about it. And thanks to this Christmas business he didn't have much time to play games.

Then again...

He reached for the game Mio bought him and put it inside his console before starting it.

Maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

 **(* * *)**

 **Whew! That took a while!**

 **Anyway, it seems the Christmas did came after all! :)**

 **Trivia, fun facts and complaints: 1) as for the name of Mio's mother I decided to stay with Mikoto, after all. I don't know why, but it gives off this "Japanese noble wife" vibe to me. 2) Don't be surprised if I used "Elsie" instead of "Eri" somewhere. I had a real problem with this in this chapter. 3) I'm not good with describing clothes, but I hope you get what Mio, Mikoto, Mari and Yuri were wearing. 4) As for Christmas traditions: most of them are taken from the traditions from my country. So, the carp is one of the main dishes and we do leave an extra spot by the table for unexpected visitor (who happened to be Yui in this case). We give presents only after the main part of the Christmas supper, so I had to change it a little. Just so you know. 5) I know the butterflies thing is cliché, but I couldn't stop myself. 6) Similar goes for Rimyuel – once I got this scene in my head, I just had to include her talking with Keima in his room.**

 **So... that's basically it. I want to ask all of you to drop me a review, as this is a very long chapter and I want to know your opinion on Keima, Mio and the entire Christmas thing. Pretty please? With sugar on top?**

 **I hope I'll post the next chapter before June 27th.**

 **See you later!**


	6. Flag 46: Coffee frosting

**Hello, everyone! I'm back as promised!**

 **It wasn't easy to write it though – I had serious trouble with getting past the first conversation in this chapter. The rest was written in 4 or 5 days really. And it's 8000 words again. This chapter also pushes the story forward or at least that was the idea.  
**

 **Moving on, I should have more time from now on, but still, don't expect chapters every week.**

 **Anyway, I would like to once again thank all of my readers, including those that follow, favorite and review. This also includes people who faved, followed and reviewed the prequels after they were marked as complete. Thank you all.  
**

 **Here are the replies to the latest reviews:**

 **Neonspy:** Well, my math gives me at least 1100 total years, assuming Keima dies at 80 each time. Well, from Keima's point of view he has one life anyway. And yes, New Hell devils have helped with designing the orb – exactly the part that is meant to deal with memories. I guess you're referring to the fact that the memories of girl's original conquests were not gone, but buried and you're suggesting that the girls/Keima could retrieve their memories from inside the orb under some circumstances. I won't deny it – Keima going nuts and stopping believing in what have happened is indeed intriguing, but I'm currently not planning anything like that.

 **ZelgadisGW:** Thanks. Is "gentle-nerd" trademarked? Sounds nice. And I'm glad you still don't know what is going through Keima's head – that gives me time to actually figure that myself.

 **Gonzalorp94:** Hello! No problem. I hope 'those things at the hospital' are going good after all. Well, reviving Satyr isn't very appealing to me, as it offers little romance-wise. And requires a lot of effort (read "time"), so it's highly unlikely something like this will happen anytime soon.

 **DarkBladerZX:** Thanks. As for Yui... her involvement is actually a little troublesome, but maybe I'll address it after the chapter. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

 **Shawn Raven:** Oh boy... here we go :). Yup! Keima's head now sports another pot-shaped dent. Rest assured. You're not the only person reminding me about Urara *cough* ZelgadisGW *cough*. Well, it's still winter, so it'll be a while before the bike would be usable, but we'll see. :) Yup, the mistletoe rocks! And here goes Yui again... Anyway, thank you very much for your detailed reviews! All of them!

 **NotAnAuthor504:** Thanks for pointing the mistakes. I can't "defend" them if that's what you are implying. :P As for Keima's father... I don't know. We'll see... on the other hand... there's this one thing that comes to mind. And Eri as the final unbeatable boss, huh? P.S. The errors where I "forgot to put spaces in between" are not really like that. I believe you mean the errors around _slanted_ or _italicized_ words. Well, the things is that I don't forget spaces. It's just that when I migrate my text from my disk to the site they somehow merge (glue) together. It doesn't happen every time and I try to correct it before posting, but obviously it persists sometimes...

 **Sasori69:** "Bad" reading time choice? I know that problem. As for Yui after YuiNomi... you raise an interesting point. I never thought of that before. Fortunately, I have a loooot of time before I need to worry about it. Especially since it only concerns Yui and only for a handful of stories, so I guess we'll manage. Anyway, you get a virtual cookie for pointing out this "plothole" *hands cookie*. Well, the last part was supposed to be confusing, but still, Keima is referencing the game and the general event, not the kiss or something like that. A sexy firewoman costume? Who said it's sexy? Actually, I think the only time a firefighter costume can be _somewhat_ sexy is when a _really_ sexy girl is inside it. As for Keima's other gifts... no idea. Uh... clothes?

 **Laialot Siedenumi:** You finished basically all of TWGOK fics? You sound just like me. :) And once more I agree – I'm not completely happy with this reset button, but it was a fairly viable strategy. Besides, it's not a full reset, right? Well, I still do like this series. I still love it. I'm still nuts about it. I still wish there were English volumes of the manga and I'm still pissed at what people have done with the anime... But anyway, thank you very much for your review. I hope you'll continue to read and review my stories. :)

 **Ok, that's enough. Onto the chapter!**

 **(* * *)**

When Mio woke up the next day it was already close to noon. She stayed lying there for a few moments, trying to organize her thoughts. She felt weird, as if she managed to accomplish something, but it felt incomplete. So that's how you feel when you have a Christmas Eve dinner with your crush and his family that is invaded by your rival, huh? Well, it was just a minor setback for now. It wasn't as if something really important happened yesterday.

Wait... the kiss! Argh! Mio held her head between her hands in frustration. Those two pesky perverted common devils (Mio ignored the part about those devils being a former head section chief and a royal princess)! How dare they do that?! And what's even worse, in the presence of her mother!

Ooh... that's right.

Her mother.

Slowly, as not to make a sound, Mio got out of bed and headed for her closet. There was still chance, however small, that her mother was out or busy, so maybe Mio could sneak out and-

"Mio, my dear" the voice of one Mikoto Aoyama could be heard from outside the bedroom. "Once you're done with your morning hygiene I would like to have a word with you."

Oh crap...

(* * *)

"Morita has transported your new bike here today" Mrs. Aoyama informed as soon as Mio sat down. At least there was breakfast (well, more like lunch) in the form of her beloved sandwiches. Mio took a bite out of her bread, a nod indicating that she heard what her mother had said.

Well, it was still winter, so she couldn't exactly use the bike right now even though she would like to. Of course, it would be better if there was also a carriage and a chauffeur, but she guessed it would do... for now.

"Are you alright?" her mother asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mio asked back.

"Aren't you annoyed that you got a bike as a present?"

Mio blinked. "Why would I be annoyed because of that?"

"I thought you despised any _common_ means of transportation."

Mio could practically feel her eyes widen, finally realizing what her mother meant. Before she could correct herself her mother continued.

"Or... could it be that you like it because it's a present from Katsuragi?"

"Both" Mio replied when she realized it was futile to avoid the topic. "So I guess you want to talk about Katsuragi?"

"I'm glad we're finally on the same page" her mother said with a confident smile.

"And you want to know if I like him, right?" Mio ascertained.

"No, I already know you do like him" her mother replied with a knowing smile. "But I didn't know it was this serious."

"What do you mean 'this serious'?" Mio asked, feeling the irritation well up inside her. "You make it sound like I'm some love-struck schoolgirl!"

"Forgive me, dear" her mother said after throwing Mio a you-are-a-love-struck-schoolgirl kind of look. "But you can't blame me for making such conclusions. I don't know much about your situation, after all."

"Obviously" Mio rolled her eyes.

"So it would be nice if you could... help me understand."

Mio stifled a groan. She had seen this coming. Her mother wanted a story. And this was a story about games and magic, about love and seduction, about saving the world and breaking hearts.

And about pumpkin-shaped carriages.

The problem was, how much was Mio supposed to tell her mother? How does she describe Keima? Clearly, portraying him as a suave gentleman would be a lie, even after yesterday's events. On the other hand, saying he's a nerdy real-hating gamer didn't sound much better.

This time Mio groaned out loud, hiding her head in her hands, her fingers raking through her messy hair.

"Mio?"

"It's complicated" the girl replied slowly. She had barely woken up she already felt exhausted. "But I can give you the short version."

"I'm listening" her mother told her.

"Well... Kei-Katsuragi... he... he's the boy who... helped me... get over dad's death..."

"Excuse me?" Mikoto Aoyama's eyes widened in clear shock. She certainly did not expect anything like _that_. She looked at her daughter closely, but it didn't seem as if Mio was lying. No, the girl avoided eye contact with her mother, but the color of her face spoke volumes.

"Didn't you say it was Morita who helped you?" Mrs. Aoyama asked.

"Yeah... that's kinda true as well..."

"Kinda?"

"Look, the thing is, it was Katsuragi who drove me to school during spring and he took me to that party... it was the day when I changed."

Her mother's eyes would widen further if that was physically possible.

"Why?" she asked and Mio cringed a little, knowing exactly what her mother was asking. "Why did he do that? Why did he help you?"

"Katsuragi's sister... she learned of my... situation and... persuaded him to help" Mio said lamely and then she noticed the look her mother was giving her. "I told you it's complicated!"

"I understand, but your explanation... doesn't explain anything."

"Look, the details aren't important right now, it's the result that matters" Mio said with a hardy face. "And the result is that two commoners had to help me out... and it's embarrassing."

"More embarrassing than yesterday?" her mother asked.

Mio didn't think much of this question, so she mulled it over for a second before answering.

"Yes, more embarrassing than yesterday" she said, thinking it will get her mother to drop the topic. Little did she know what conclusion her mother would draw from this.

"More embarrassing the kissing under the mistletoe?" Mrs. Aoyama didn't drop the topic. Instead, she dropped a bomb with her next statement. "So you two have kissed before."

Mio choked on her bread and her mother needed to pat her a few times on her back, before the girl could speak.

"What? *cough* those are my *cough* personal *cough* affairs!" she bellowed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry..." her mother said with her hands raised in defense. "I'm just happy for you."

"Happy?" Mio repeated. "What's there to be happy about?"

"Isn't it obvious? Katsuragi clearly likes you back."

Mio had to hand it to her mother – Mikoto Aoyama knew how to help her daughter relax. Because when she said that, the entire stress, anger and embarrassment Mio felt, left her at once, replaced with loud laugher.

"You have to be kidding me!" Mio said, wiping the tear out of her eye. Man, she didn't even remember when was the last time she laughed like that. "Katsuragi? Likes me?" she said, trying for a serious face, but exploded into laughter again. "He's a nerd, an obsessive gamer that isn't very fond of the real 3-D physical girls" Mio told her mother when she was able to talk again. "Actually, he's not that fond of the real world either" Mio's face then became more serious. "No, he almost certainly doesn't like me. That's one of the things that make this complicated. Yes, he tolerates me and yes, that's a huge step forward when he is concerned, but that's it. And there are other obstacles."

"Like your friend Yui?" her mother asked.

"How did you-".

"You're joking?" her mother cut Mio off. "It's obvious with how she looks at him and tries to get his attention. She even invited herself into yesterday's dinner and did it skilfully. The only reason she didn't succeed was because Katsuragi didn't seem... eager to her advances."

"Yeah... Yui does have a little obsession with him" Mio commented.

"And you're fine with it" her mother stated, not asked.

"For the most part? Yes" Mio replied. "Me and Yui had a talk yesterday about competition and such, so I'm not backing down just because Yui's in the race" she said before sighing. "Still, dealing with her is troublesome."

"Well, from what I observed, this could work to your advantage" Mrs. Aoyama suggested.

"What do you mean?" Mio asked.

"Well, from what I saw, Katsuragi prefers you over Yui."

"Wrong" Mio said. "He was just using me to get back at Yui. Well, we kinda teamed together to get back at her, so... yeah."

"Okay, let's leave this for now" her mother suggested. "I think I now understand why Katsuragi bought you a bike... what about your present for him?"

"Does it matter?" Mio asked back as she massaged her temples in irritation.

"Of course it does! I gave you money to buy him something, but you never told me what you bought!" her mother said. "Please tell me you didn't buy him a game."

Mio was quiet for a moment, her eyes avoiding her mother's.

"You did" the other woman concluded.

Mio mumbled something in response.

"What was that?"

"It was Urara's idea" the girl repeated a little louder while squirming. "She advised me to get closer to Katsuragi by buying him a Christmas present and the only _merry_ thing we could come up with was a game" she explained. "And Urara suggested it before I was invited... Well, Katsuragi seemed to like it, so I guess it's fine."

"I don't know what's more surprising" Mrs. Aoyama shook her head. "You liking a common boy, you asking Urara for help or you actually listening to other peoples' advice."

"Gee thanks. Your faith in my is inspiring" Mio said sarcastically.

"Don't get angry, my dear" her mother said more sternly than before. "We both know that my lack of faith in your personality is not groundless..."

"I told you, I've changed. A bit" Mio countered, painfully aware of how much her mother was right.

"Yes, I know that, I'm thankful of that and I'm not belittling your achievements" her mother said. "It's just that... boys are peculiar creatures. It might be easy to get their attention for a moment, but to get a steady relationship is difficult. And keeping it that way for long is even harder."

Great, Mio thought. Like I need being reminded that I'm flat-chested rude squirt that has nothing going for her... Still, Mio knew that her mother wanted to help her and couldn't blame her for being honest.

And honesty was in short supply in this entire Hell-heaven-love thing, after all.

"Don't get me wrong, dear. I'm telling you this, so I can help you" Mrs. Aoyama said, seeing that her daughter was quiet. "So, what's your plan right now?"

"I'm not sure" Mio replied after a moment. "I guess I will continue with the study sessions."

"Study sessions?" her mother repeated. "I know that your academic skills could use some improvement, but that's not why you asked Katsuragi-san to tutor you, right? That's pretty sly" she finished with a knowing smile.

"Buuut?" Mio asked suspiciously.

"But you can study in different places."

"Like where?"

"Here" her mother indicated to their apartment. "You should invite Katsuragi over once in a while, how about it?"

"Not happening" Mio replied. There's no way she was going to invite Keima here. At least not yet.

"Are you ashamed of how we live?" her mother asked.

"No... I mean, not that much... Ugh... fine, I'll bring him home sometime... someday... maybe" Mio said. "A-anyway, are we done, here? 'Cause I have some things to do."

"Alright, but remember that you can always ask me for help. I want you to be happy" her mother said before standing up. "Now, I have some things to do as well. I took a leave at work, so I have chance to clean the place up."

Mio heaved a sigh of relief. She took a leave too, so she didn't have to go to work right away. So, what should she do for today?

(* * *)

In truth, Mio didn't really know what to do except continue with her study sessions with Keima. It was all she had, this was the only thread that was both connecting Keima with her and was not shared by other girls. And she had to milk it while it lasted, because she was certain that soon enough other girls will start having similar ideas – the exams and the third year of high school were drawing near after all.

Thus, the days after the Christmas slowly passed by and Mio's new bike found its place in her crammed room, reminding her every morning that all of this was not her imagination. Especially, since her imagination _have_ been going a little wild lately.

With regard to the mistletoe kiss thing, Mio fortunately managed to diffuse the situation the next day, before Keima could misinterpret (or even worse, interpret it _too_ correctly). Mio forcefully approached him and requested, no, demanded that Keima brings her to those two pesky devils, so she can give them a piece of her mind. Of course, Keima didn't do as she asked, but the purpose of the request was fulfilled – Mio managed to address the kiss issue without directly stating whether she would like to do it again or not.

As for other things, they still had a break from school which meant Keima was holed in his room most of the time playing games. Mio wanted to use this opportunity to have a honest... well... honest-ish talk with Eri Katsuragi and figure out the girl's intentions. Unfortunately, Eri was never alone. She was always either with one of her parents, with 2-B pencils or Yui. And other times the girl just seemed to vanish, making it impossible to talk to her.

And as Urara predicted, Tsukiyo was mostly privy to the latest events, although Mio didn't know whether her source was Luna, Yui or Keima. The moon-lover didn't hold it against Mio however, mostly choosing to listen while sipping her tea. Despite that friendly atmosphere, Mio was adamant to exchange too much information with the two girls. She still believed that some amount of secrecy – total secrecy, as if things known only to her and no-one else – was required.

Mio would be fine to stay like that for a while, but her adversary wasn't going to just sit there doing nothing. At New Year's Yui has somehow managed to drag Keima to a date. Mio did not know what kind of bribe Yui used – games? Promise to leave Keima alone for a while? Not putting him into girly clothes? – not matter what it was, it worked and obviously that was not good news.

Thus, Mio decided it was time to up her game a little. Fortunately, the study sessions didn't mean just studying for school. After all, there was the other half of Mio's 'study promise' with Keima.

For Keima this would be just fulfilling their agreement, but for her this could turn into a date, Mio thought as she and Keima met, ready to go to their 'outdoor winter spot' for the third time. No Eri or Yui in sight.

"So how's life?" Mio started. Some small talk wouldn't hurt, right?

"Tolerable" Keima replied. "It's winter break, so my gaming time increased" he explained, obviously avoiding his yesterday's 'date' with Yui. "Oh, and the game you bought me was quite nice."

"I-is that so?" Mio was caught off guard, before composing herself. "O-of course it was. I chose it myself!" she added with a haughty expression.

"And since when are you an expert on galge?" Keima asked. "Besides, didn't you say you grabbed the first game you laid your eyes on?"

"So?" Mio huffed. "It just means I can make decent purchase in an instant. That's called having good eyes, don't you think?"

"Perhaps" Keima said calmly, but his lips morphed into small smile. "Anyway, here" he handed Mio an omelet-soba sandwich wrapped with red bow. "Happy birthday."

"W-what?" Mio stuttered out, looking at the baked goods in her hands, before realizing it was indeed January 2nd. "You remembered?"

"Why would I forget?" Keima asked back. "Well, I know this isn't much..."

"...I already got a bike, so it's fine" Mio finished for him. "Besides, I _really_ like this bread."

"Yes, we noticed" Keima said. "I admit, it's good, but I still think you have a little obsession there."

"That's a pot calling the kettle black" she countered back, indicating to his console.

Keima shrugged. "You can call me an obsessed hypocrite all you want. I don't really care."

"Same here" Mio bit off top of her sandwich to prove her point as well.

"Anyway" Keima gave her a small, barely-there side glance. "Wasn't I supposed to chose our destination for next time?" he asked, referencing their 'get to know the real' project.

"I believe you did" Mio replied, earning his confused look. "The Christmas Eve."

"What about it?" Keima asked.

"Don't play dumb" Mio said. "You didn't know your mother was going to invite me, but once she did, you played a nice guy for my sake, right?" she tossed her half sly and half impressed glance.

"I did it for both our sakes, I guess" Keima resumed his gaming. "You're smarter than you let on" he commented casually, but somehow Mio knew it wasn't the first time he noticed that.

It was almost like a compliment. No, it _was_ a compliment. It got this who-would've-thought-you're-smart kind of insult touch to it, but maybe it was just Mio and her pride talking. She just needed to assume Keima didn't mean to insult her. He was learning about the real world, after all, right?

"Gee thanks" she told him. "Just because I'm having you tutor me doesn't mean I'm stupid."

"If you were stupid I wouldn't tutor you" Keima replied. "And it's me who's having you being tutored, not the other way around."

Hoo? Proud much? Mio thought, smiling slyly. Fine, let's see how you're going to deal with this. "Here we are" she indicated to the spot in front of them.

Keima raised his head, but if he was expecting a slope for sledging, then he was surprised. There was no ragged inclined slope, but rather something completely opposite – flat and level surface. There was no snowball fights or any snowballs for that matter. Actually, there was almost no snow at all.

There was only ice.

An ice rink.

Mio had led him to an ice rink.

"You have to be joking" he commented.

"Why?" she asked, her arms crossed over her petite chest. "You scared, puny god?"

Keima's eyebrow twitched. "You know how to strike a nerve without meaning to, don't you?"

"Is that a bad thing?" she asked, uncertain. Striking a nerve and being generally rude was normal for her, but only when dealing with other boys. She didn't want to do that when with Keima. Well, at least she wasn't ignoring him, so it was a progress right?

"Probably" Keima shrugged his arms. "But I have that ability as well, so it's not like I don't understand what it's like."

"Um, thanks, I guess?" was he comforting her after she half-insulted him? "Anyway, you're not getting out of this" she indicated to the rink.

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

(* * *)

"I'll ask ahead – is bumping into _real_ people the purpose of this?" Keima asked once he got his ice skates on and was just about to enter the rink full of people.

"The purpose of this is ice skating and having fun" Mio told him, entering the rink. "But also... yeah."

Keima didn't react, his eyes trained on Mio's ice skates and following the girl's movements.

"It's not your first time ice-skating" it wasn't a question.

"No, it's not" Mio admitted. "It's not _that_ common of an activity after all. But I haven't done it much. The reason I'm good with this is because it's similar to dancing" the last part made her nostalgic for a moment, cheeks staining red, but she composed herself quickly. "A-anyway, would you like some help?" she asked, skating closer to him and offering her hand to him.

Wait, wasn't he the one who was supposed to ask her to da-skate?

Keima looked at her and then took her hand. Mio then slowly guided him into the center of the rink, away from the railing and then proceeded to show him the ropes. If she had any doubt that Keima was a fast learner then it was dispelled. He was yet to fall on his butt.

But that could be arranged, she thought as she smiled a little.

"Are you plotting something?" Keima asked, bringing her out of her reverie.

"No" she replied. "I just thought how quickly you get the hang of things..." she hoped he wouldn't connect it to her original conquest, because that was a dangerous territory.

"You said something similar when we were dancing... back then" Keima noticed.

So he connected it...

"This is totally different" she looked away and sped up a little, trying to steer the conversation away from that topic.

"Of course it is" Keima said. "Last time you had more issues with touching me."

Mio turned back and, indeed, they were still holding hands. They were _holding hands_. Granted, it was for the sake of ice skating, but still.

"You did too" she replied, maintaining her cool. "So, I guess our training bore fruit, huh?"

"You think so?" he asked, seemingly genuinely interested in her opinion and the effects of their 'training'. Suddenly it felt as if they were two poker players, staring each other down or two snipers, running around the town and trying to spot each other. And one of them was about to get sniped any second.

Mio needed to put some distance between them. Literally.

"Let's find out, shall we?" and with this she let go of his hand, skating away.

Apparently, Keima wasn't expecting that and he strained to catch his balance for a moment, before straightening up, his position stable.

"Let's see if you can catch up to me" Mio stepped closer to him, circled around him and patted him on his back. "Tag!"

"What?"

"You're it!" Mio said. "Catch me if you can!"

"You're sure you're not Eri's lost 10-year old relative?" he asked, but Mio only stuck out her tongue at him and said something along the lines of 'so you can't, huh?'

Keima's eyebrow twitched. The nerve of hers!

"You're on!" he said as he gave chase.

(* * *)

Mio was smaller, more agile and more experienced. But Keima was smarter and, despite him chasing her desperately, he actually had a plan, practically driving her into a corner and she barely avoided him, once again mocking him with her hands to her ears and her tongue stuck out.

"Nice try, but-ouch!"

She was focused on Keima, not realizing she still had momentum and drove right into a hand-linked couple and ended up on her butt.

Keima slided next to her, his skates making screeching noise as he stopped as if he was born wearing skates.

"I would like to see you run away now" he said.

"I would have if it weren't for them" she said, indicating to the couple, who skated away as if nothing happened. Ugh, stupid lovey-dovey people and their non-existent attention span.

"Yes, yes, of course, it's the commoners' fault and not yours, princess" he said, offering her a hand and she took it.

"I admit it, you're pretty good at this" Mio said as she dusted off her clothes... before pushing Keima back, knocking him down. "You're it again!"

And with this she drove off.

(* * *)

"You're rather childish" Keima noticed ten minutes later, leaning on the railing. He was feeling slightly out of breath.

At least thanks to skating he didn't feel so cold anymore.

"So what?" Mio asked, skating close to him and making pirouettes and several other skating figures with various results. "I just do what I want to do... it's just that I'm no longer riding horses, attending parties or things like that, so I guess I'm learning new ways to have fun. Is that wrong?"

"Was it really that fun?" Keima asked. "I mean, living a rich life, dealing with other rich people and looking down on commoners?"

"I won't lie – I used to enjoy that kind of life, yes" she turned around. "Well, back then it was more about the position in society. You would just stand there and talk with people. Sometimes pretending you like it there and you like all the people... if you must. I guess, it was more about being rather than doing."

"Well, I'm holding an important position as well. In the gaming world that is" Keima said. "But, my title is not an empty one. I earn it by completing games faster and by being better than anyone else."

"I'm not going to become one of your followers, if that's what you're implying" she warned him.

"It's your loss" he said. "Anyway, would you like to go back to your previous life?"

"Sometimes" Mio replied, performing a 180 degree jump with a little unstable but happy landing. "I would like to do it once in a while. And being poor sucks" she said. "But I guess it helps you to appreciate life and the little things, so no, I wouldn't want to go back to my previous life."

"Is that so?" Keima said quietly, so Mio wouldn't hear him. The he bounced from the railing and approached her. "It's getting cold, so I suggest we leave in, like, five minutes."

"So, another round of tag for the finale, huh?" Mio got into her competitive stance, ready to skate away from him, but blinked when Keima extended his hand to her.

"What are you-"

"You said skating is a lot like dancing" Keima reminded her.

How come? She thought. He just slowly raised his hand, a good half a meter still between them. And he wasn't smiling and didn't take of his glasses. So how come, Mio felt her armor shatter suddenly?

No. It didn't shatter. It was just a little chink in her armor. She was still fine.

For now.

"Why?" she asked, curious of his intentions.

"So you can pretend you're back in your world once in a while" he explained. "Treat is as a 'thank you' gift."

Mio looked at him for a moment, her eyes wide open, before she took his hand.

"Hmpf! That only holds if you have skate-dancing skills to back up your words."

"Let's find out, shall we?" he repeated her own words, before he started moving.

(* * *)

What followed was a very... weird... dance.

Of course, Mio didn't expect them to start dancing tango or anything. And she certainly didn't expect a real two-people skate figure show and she was actually thankful it didn't happen – she didn't know what she would do if Keima were to raise her above his head, holding her by her waist.

No, it wasn't anything like that. Instead it was more like a random set of figures, a lot of them done separately without any physical contact. They thing that mostly reminded dancing was the two of them moving in tandem, matching each other movements, following the same trajectory, their skates leaving two similar patterns on the ice. And, of course, there was no music that would dictate the rhythm.

It was really weird and random and anything but professional. Actually, they must've looked really stupid. And in public too. It was definitely not something that Mio should be enjoying.

But, as strange as it was, she did. And she was certain that Keima and her crush on him was what changed 'pathetic amateur skating' into an enjoyable experience.

Come to think of it, she thought as she handed back her skates, were 'crushing on Keima' and 'liking Keima' even accurate at this point?

Honestly, she didn't know, but she didn't care as long as it worked.

(* * *)

It was the first half of January and the Christmas break was over, meaning the return to the world of school, classes and looming exams. Thank god that Mio was still a second year, which meant that exams won't be as difficult or as important as the ones for the third years.

Still, the studying was a pain in the ass. Since that one time Eri caught them in that diner, Mio was doing her tutoring with Keima at his house, usually when his parents were away and those study sessions were becoming less and less appealing as the time went on – the material was getting more difficult, more boring and more useless, so Mio could do nothing but get frustrated with progress with both her academic skills and her relationship with Keima.

And most important of all, Mio didn't know what Keima's sister thought of all of that.

But no more, Mio decided as she headed in the direction of the Katsuragi household on a Sunday morning. Today, she was going to figure out Eri Katsuragi's intentions.

It was imperative that she does so.

Especially because of the call she received from Yui the day after Mio and Keima's "ice rink escapade".

Mio huffed. That Yui! From what the drummer said over the phone, she was actually _spying_ on her and Keima when they were ice-skating. Yui didn't know that Mio and Keima had an agreement, so she simply interpreted is as a date of sorts. Thus, the drummer decided it was wise to mark her territory and display her 'frightening behavior' by bragging about her own date with Keima and Mio listened while gnashing her teeth.

And Yui had actually the gall to mention her own kiss with Keima during that date as if it was some achievement of monumental importance, while it was just a kiss on the cheek! And that girl thinks she's winning 4 to 2 in kisses? Seriously? Two of her kisses with Keima were on the cheek, so they didn't count. Thus, the score was 2-2 tie as far as Mio was concerned.

Mio threaded through the snow covering the ground, thanking god that the snowfall eased for the last two days, as she finally reached her destination – Café Grandpa.

She just hoped that Yui, or some other girl for that matter, wasn't there. Not that she could do anything about it if Yui were to drop for a visit – it wasn't Mio's house after all.

Of course, this could be solved by inviting Keima to her apartment for once, but Mio was still adamant about doing so. No, it was too soon and too obvious. After all, what kind of reason does a prideful just-turned-seventeen single girl would have for inviting a guy to her house besides... that?

Mio shook her head and reached with her hand in order to ring the doorbell... when the door suddenly opened on its own and some figure appeared in the doorway, encased with a bright light coming from inside, making Mio squint her eyes for a moment. She didn't know whether it was Keima, his sister or his mother, so she stepped back a little. Then looked again. And blinked.

The person in the doorway wasn't Keima, Eri, Mari, Keiichi or any other Katsuragi family member.

It was Tenri Ayukawa. The cute shy _taller_ childhood friend neighbor of Keima.

So there goes Mio's secret...

"Oh..." the dark-haired girl exclaimed either from politeness or genuine surprise. "Good day, Aoyama-san."

"Good day" Mio replied. "What are you doing here?" she added before she could bite her tongue.

"Umm... I was delivering a gift for Keima-kun's mother" Tenri replied her tone a little uncertain, as if she was afraid.

Great Mio, you did it again, the blonde thought to herself. You just made another enemy.

"A gift?" she asked, intrigued.

"Y-yes" Tenri stuttered out. "I was on a trip with my family and my mother wanted me to bring this as a souvenir."

"I see..."

Tenri seemed to genuinely believe that, but Mio was certain that the true objective of the girl's mother was to actually get her daughter and Keima together. Mio groaned internally. Obstacles seemed to pile one after another.

"You're not going to stand on the doormat all day, are you?" a voice interrupted the two girls' awkward conversation. Mio turned around and noticed that Keima appeared in the doorway.

"Aah... goodbye, Keima-kun" Tenri said and then walked away, although Mio could swear she saw a glint of red in her eyes, before the girl turned away.

Correction. Mio might've just made _two_ new enemies. For all she knew she might be naturally gifted when it came to pissing off people.

And goddesses.

(* * *)

The study session was as boring as Mio anticipated, especially since Keima was teaching his sister as well, resulting in his apparent frustration. The fact that Mio was faring much better than the other girl did nothing to placate her.

Honestly, Mio was pretty certain nothing good would come out of it this time, when suddenly Keima was called by his mother and left the room, leaving both girls alone.

Mio immediately felt anxious, but the opportunity was too good to waste it.

"Umm, Eri-san?" she started, trying for a gentle tone and this apparently startled the former devil, who practically jumped in place.

"Y-yes?" the girl replied. Mio was surprised to see Eri act this meek, but there was no time to dwell on that.

"I'll be frank. You know about me... liking your brother."

"...Yes" Eri admitted after a moment. That kind and neutral answer was certainly not what Mio was expecting.

"You've known this since the Christmas Eve" Mio half-asked, half-stated.

"Yes" Eri confirmed as if that was the only word she knew. Mio scanned the other girl's eyes, looking for the signs of anger or mischief, but saw nothing like that.

"You've known this and yet you did nothing" Mio accused.

"I was supposed to do something?" Eri asked.

Mio lost her patience. "Ugh! Just tell me whose side are you on?" she asked. Mine or Yui's?"

"Ohh, so that's what you meant" Eri's eyes shined with understanding. "I didn't expect you to get so direct about it like that."

"We don't have much time" Mio glanced at the door. "Just answer the question."

Eri thought about it for a moment before she put a finger to her lips. "Well... it's not that simple... but I guess I'm on nii-sama's side."

"So... you don't want your brother and me... to be together?" Mio asked. If she wanted any confirmation that she liked Keima then the feeling of her stomach churning at the thought of Eri not approving did it.

"I want my brother to be happy" Eri said simply.

"I can make him happy" Mio exclaimed before she even realized she shouldn't make promises she might not be able to keep.

"Yui-san might do that too" Eri commented quietly and Mio bit her lip. Yes, churn my stomach a little more while you're at it, won't you?

"So you're helping Yui?" Mio asked openly.

"I guess I'm helping all three of you."

Mio was quiet for a moment. "Do explain."

"Well, I think Yui-san is going about it the wrong way" Eri started, twirling a pencil (2-B kind of course) in her hand. "She dragged nii-sama on a date the other day."

"I know" Mio hissed driven by something akin to jealousy.

"But she shouldn't force nii-sama like that" Eri continued. "So I told her I won't approve of it, unless she takes it easier on nii-sama. I guess right now she's figuring what to do about this."

So, currently Yui could only bark, but not bite, Mio thought. That call from before was a proof of that.

"And what about me?" Mio asked.

"Oh, you mean the selfish, arrogant, proud deceiving girl?" Eri asked.

Mio's first instinct was too lash out, as Eri's assessment of her was unfair, but then she reconsidered. Arguing would just prove the dark-haired girl's point.

"You really think I'm like that?" Mio asked instead.

"I don't know. I was never good with things like that. It's nii-sama's job to figure girls outs" Eri responded. "And that's why I'll leave it to him."

"You'll what?" Mio asked surprised.

"I'm not going to hinder you, nor I'm going to help Yui. And I'm not going to tell nii-sama or try to influence him. I'll let him decide by himself... so, good luck, I guess."

Mio wanted to say something, but then she heard Mari Katsuragi shout something from the first floor and soon after that she heard the door open and Keima entered the room.

"Is something wrong, nii-sama?" Eri asked innocently.

"Mom needs help at the café. Apparently a lot of customer showed today" Keima said. "She wants you to waiter while I make coffee."

(* * *)

"This is even more customers than we get during the summer" Mari Katsuragi said to no-one in particular as she busied herself behind the counter, preparing cakes. "I don't know how to explain this."

Mio nodded her head as she stood next to the counter, sipping on her coffee. She originally stayed in Eri's room, but after half an hour she was fed up with studying alone, so she got down, planning to just leave, but Keima was there, preparing his reputedly godly coffee, so Mio retrieved her wallet and ordered a cup for herself.

And she didn't regret it.

As she was sitting she could see that Keima and his mother were right – the café was literally stormed by customers. And what's more, one of them was that white-haired devil. Mio didn't remember her name, but she didn't have to. From the voice she knew it was the one of the two devils who forced her and Keima to kiss on Christmas Eve.

The devil didn't forget it either as she sent Mio an amused smirk once in a while.

Was this devil responsible for this onslaught of customers? If yes then for what purpose? Was she just messing with Keima?

"Excuse me!" Mio heard the voice of Eri and moved to the side, letting the girl who was carrying a tray of cakes through. Mio frowned as she saw the tired expression on the girl's face – she was obviously overwhelmed by her duties as she walked to that white-haired devil and put the contents of the tray on her table.

Mio's eyebrow twitched at that, before an idea struck her. It made her laugh at first as it was ridiculous, but a few moments later she started seriously considering it.

What the Hell! Eri _did_ sort of approve of her, so she could at least do that for her. And with that she grabbed her bag and headed for the toilet.

(* * *)

Eri was fine with cleaning the café and occasional waitering. And perhaps cooking. Someday she might even inherit the café. But she had a long way to go and she certainly wasn't prepared for that number of customers. Her head was already spinning and she could feel the incoming headache.

And the dirty plates were piling up. Soon they will run out of clean ones, she thought, as she approached the next customer.

"May I take your order?"

Eri blinked. That question was polite, but there was an air of pride and superiority to it. And it wasn't Eri who asked this question.

"Yes, I would like café au lait, please" a teenage girl said.

"It'll be a cappuccino for me" a boy sitting next to the girl, obviously her boyfriend said.

Eri rubbed her eyes, thinking she was exhausted. It didn't help. She could still see Mio Aoyama, dressed in some green apron, with a pen and small notepad in her hands, noting the order of the couple.

"Oh and I would like a slice of strawberry tart" the girl added.

"Yeah, yeah" Mio droned, jotting it down, before ripping the sheet and passing it to Eri.

"What are you doing?" Eri asked in a whisper.

"What does it look like?" Mio asked rhetorically. "Look, you take care of the dishes and prepare the orders and I'll waiter. I might be selfish, arrogant, proud and deceiving. But I'm not ungrateful. It's thanks for both the conquest and for you... not hindering me."

"And this?" Eri pointed to Mio's clothes.

"This?" Mio patted her apron. "This is the uniform for my part-time job, I thought you'd have remembered" she explained. "I was going to work today for an extra pay, so I took it. Now go be useful somewhere else" she waved the girl off and followed to the next customer.

(* * *)

If Keima was surprised at Mio's behavior, then he didn't let it show, handing the blonde girl a tray with cups of coffee as soon as she returned to the counter, before going back to his job as a barista.

Was he usually helping in the café like that? That was unlikely... was this a part of his 'blend with the real' plan?

Eri was obviously less composed then her brother – she kept glancing at Mio and the blonde wasn't certain why. Was Eri thinking she wanted to score some points with Keima or his family? Or did she think that Mio was a bad waitress?

C'mon, I'm handling the bread, cleaning the store and handling the cashier at the bakery five days a week, she thought. Give me some credit, damn it!

And Mari Katsuragi probably didn't even notice her helping. That was actually a pity. Then again, she wasn't doing it because she was showing off.

(* * *)

After an hour the number of customers decreased considerably and Mio breathed out in relief. She still had some time before her part-time job, but she certainly wasn't looking forward to working for several more hours today.

She wiped off her forehead. Still, it would be nice if someone noticed her eff-.

"Your hard work for today is appreciated" someone said behind her.

Mio whipped around, thinking what Morita was doing here, but it was actually Keima. He wasn't smiling, but his attention was solely on her. Mio had enough awareness to realize her brain turned to mush.

"I was just repaying you for the tutoring" she somehow managed a believable response. "After all, you yourself said that I can work properly."

Keima nodded. Mio was just about to say goodbye and leave before her knees would give way, when she heard another voice.

"Whew, that was a busy day" Mio then saw Mari Katsuragi walking up to the two of them. "Keima, can you and Eri man the café for a moment? I'll be back in 10 minutes or so."

"We'll manage" Keima said and turned around, going to the coffee machine before Eri could break it and set the store on fire. Mio just opened her mouth, but then she felt a hand on her arm, before Mari proceeded to drag her in the direction of the house.

"Can I talk you with you for a moment?" the orange-haired woman asked, but the blonde girl couldn't refuse even if she wanted.

(* * *)

Calm down, calm down, Mio thought to herself as she sat by the table in the living room. Don't panic. It has to be something _other_ than Mari figuring out Mio's feelings for her son.

"Here" Mari brought the girl out of her reverie, putting something on the table. Mio looked at the familiar object.

Money. And not just small change.

"Wh-what?" Mio did panic.

"This is payment for helping in the café" Mari said as if it were obvious.

"B-but, it was only for an hour! You don't have to-"

"Don't worry. It's not a bribe" Mari cut her off.

"Not a bribe? What reason would be there to bribe-" Mio stopped when the realization hit her. Don't tell me...

"You have a thing for my son, don't you?" Mari asked. Except it wasn't a question.

"W-what?" Mio's vocabulary was really limited at the moment. "Why would you think that?"

"I've seen you make sheep's eyes at him. You blush around him. And you seemed really disappointed after that kiss back then ended so abruptly."

"I... I did?" Mio asked. And then she gulped. "Umm... why are you telling me this."

"I'll be blunt. I want you to stay away from my son" Mio's eyes widened in horror. "Just kidding."

"Don't joke like that!" Mio half-shouted. The nerve of that woman! Wait a second... "You were kidding, so..."

"Well, it seems you are not the only girl who has her eyes set on my son... but it seems Keima reacts to you better than he does to that other girl back there" Mio realized Mari was talking about Yui. "Actually, he seems as comfortable with you as he is with Tenri, despite me never having seen you before December."

"Really?" Mio said, her brain blank, hands rubbing at each other in nervousness.

"You're not asking who Tenri is" Mari noticed and Mio inwardly cursed. "Do you know her too?"

"Well, I saw her as she was walking out of here today and Keima introduced her to me."

Mio was almost certain Mari didn't believe her, but the orange-haired woman didn't comment on that.

"Anyway, I can offer you a chance to get closer to Keima. Of course, the moment you hurt my son you'll wish you hadn't."

"Me hurting him?" Mio repeated. "Don't you find it more likely that he'll hurt me with his insensitiveness, nerdiness and all that?!"

"You know about 'all that' and yet you're still here" Mari noticed and Mio could hear something weird in her voice. Was the other woman proud her son managed to make Mio fall in love with him?

"Okay... then does that mean I get your approval... Katsuragi-san?" Mio asked, uncertain.

"It's Mari. And yes, you do. For now at least" Mari said.

Mio nodded in relief and for the umpteenth time today prepared to leave, but was stopped by Mari's hand.

"I'm not done yet" the other woman said.

"Um... I would love to listen, but I'm kinda in a hurry. I need to go for my part-time job."

"My point exactly" Mari said.

"Huh?" Mio didn't understand. "What do you mean?"

"You work part-time after school, correct?" Mari asked and Mio nodded. "Yet, you could use that time to get closer to Keima. Do they pay good at least?"

"It has to do" Mio said simply. "And I can't quit my job. I need to help my mother."

"I know that" Mari said. "And that's very commendable. I'm just saying there's a better solution."

"Like what?"

"Change your job."

"Oh yeah" Mio laughed, reminded of what happened earlier today. "You could hire me as a past-time waitress" she joked.

"Finally we're on the same page here" Mari smiled.

It was good ten seconds before Mio found her tongue again. "W-what?!" she hollered rudely. "You can't be serious!"

"Why not?" Mari asked. "You'll be working here and will have the opportunity to spend some time with my son. Two birds with one stone, right? I'll be paying you of course."

"I don't want to be a burden on your budget" Mio said. After all she knew the value of money.

Mari laughed at this. "You clearly don't realize your own potential" she said. "I have read enough manga to know that tsundere characters attract customers. And I have seen enough today to know you're fit the picture. Don't worry, I expect our business to profit from this. Just don't offend, scald and hit our customers. Too much... so do we have a deal?"

And with this she extended her hand. Mio waited for a moment, asking herself if this was really happening. And then she took the offered hand, sealing the deal.

"Great!" Mari said happily as if her son was already getting married. "Let me know when you clear things with your current employer. Now the only thing remaining is how should we tell Keima about this?"

 **(* * *)**

 **Here you go! Mio gets an offer from Mari to start working at Café Grandpa. I hope you didn't figure it out until the last moment. :) And this job offer is obviously what's going to push the story forward. Let's call it a relationship upgrade of sorts, shall we? Well, I still have some important events that are going to happen in further chapters, but I'll probably have serious problem with connecting them together...  
**

 **...and this is also why Yui is troublesome. Believe me or not, I wasn't really planning to include her as _that_ active rival. For the most part I envisioned only Mio and Keima plus some background characters (Eri, Mari, Mikoto, Urara). Anything else is added mostly because I feel like it (like Rimyuel or Nora. Tenri wasn't planned to appear in this chapter as well). My point is – I now have to include Yui into the race in a meaningful way and this will take some effort. But I think that's how it's supposed to be, I mean Yui has to appear before the story ends. I'll think how to do that.**

 **Some other trivia and corrections. As you can see it was Urara who suggested Mio buy Keima a game for Christmas, so it was "Urara's idea" that was mentioned in previous chapter. Moreover, if you're getting confused, there's also "Mio's secret" or "Mio's advantage over Yui" and it still wasn't revealed. Well, it's nothing complicated really and maybe some of you figured it out already. Anyway, I didn't forget about that part,, so rest assured.  
**

 **As for what Keima know, suspects, realizes and feels... God only knows. :)**

 **And as for correction. In the previous chapter I have written that the bike was "yellow and blue" as Mio's hair and eyes. Well, I have blundered. I know that manga and anime are not always consistent with the girls hair and eye color (especially since manga is mostly black and white). For example, I can't really tell what color are Ayumi's hair (let alone her eyes). MAnga bath scene shows it as plainly brown, while in anime it's... I don't know... dark or dark-brownish with a hint of purple/blue (but less than Shiori's)? And Yui's actually a green-head of sorts...**

 **...but back to the point – the girl that is blonde-haired and blue-eyed is not Mio. It's Tsukiyo. I kinda have a thing for blue-eyed blondes, so maybe that's why I made that mistake. Anyway, I believe Mio to have golden eyes (curtains kinda match the window, huh?), thus I corrected the previous chapter and the bike is yellow- and golden-colored now. Similar colors, I know, but that's how it's gonna be. ;)**

 **This chapter's references are brought to you by Hulk from Avengers, Ultron from Avengers: Age of Ultron and from Godzilla (2014).**

 **As always, I encourage you to fav/follow this story and drop me a review!**

 **I think that's it for now. I hope I'll be able to post the next chapter before July 7th.**

 **See you next time!**


	7. Flag 47: Discord

**Hello, everyone! I'm back! At last...**

 **But seriously, I'm very sorry that it took me so much time to write this chapter. I don't really have an excuse, besides the fact that it was very difficult to write some (most?) of the conversation in this chapter and I'm not really that happy with the end result. But I'll talk and complain in the "after" author's notes. I just hope you'll be able to enjoy this chapter, especially since its atmosphere is considerably different from what I originally planned.  
**

 **As usual, I want to thank you for your continuous support and reviews. Here are the replies:**

 **Laialot Siedenumi:** Thank you. By reverse Sumire arc you mean that it's conquest girl working at Keima's house rather than the other way around? Well, it certainly feels that way. We'll see what will come from this.

 **NotAnAuthor504:** I'm always happy to hear people are enjoying new pairings, so I'm glad you feel that way. :) I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well, because... yeah...

 **Shawn Raven:** Thank you for your support as always. Yes, Mio can be quite childish, because ojōsamas don't get to do a lot of such things when they're young... probably. And yes, Eri's shinning in her own way in this story. It just shows how important Keima's happiness is to her. We'll get to Yui at some point. I don't know if maid uniform is that different from waitress uniform, but I'll see what I can do.

 **Sasori69:** It's not really complicated. Mio can be quite rough, so she obviously can't yell at customers and whip them all she wants. However, a small dose of rough behavior can be useful to attract customers. Moe factors, tsunderes... things like that. ;)

 **ZelgadisGW:** Yes, it's quite romantic in my head and yes, Keima is a mystery *evil laugh*. And yeah, Eri is useful and insightful for once.

 **Neonspy:** First, I am honoured for my fics to be mentioned on equal standing with Wrathie Winsre's. As for the general questions in your review, some of them are interesting and worth a discussion, but not here and not now – I'm planning to send you a (hopefully) detailed PM. Perhaps tomorrow. Nota bene, the forum was supposed to be a place for such questions.

 **Guest:** About Tenri/Diana thing, you want me to do DianaNomi completely distinct from TenriNomi? It's kinda counter-productive, because Tenri and Diana share the same body. Currently I plan to have a single story that will cover both of them.

 **Enjoy!**

(* * *)

The following night Mio found herself having trouble to fall asleep, thinking about the offer Mari extended to her. Well, Mio had already accepted it, so it wasn't an offer anymore. But she was still conflicted, her thoughts keeping her up. Her mother had no such problem – Mikoto Aoyama was sleeping soundly on the futon next to Mio's and Mio wasn't surprised. After all, her mother worked hard each day, got more tired in the result and slept better because of it. And she needed more of it too.

Of course Mio didn't tell her mother about her soon-to-be change in employment. The blonde girl knew her mother would be angry about being kept in the dark like that, but there was no other way – Mio needed to avoid chaos, so she desperately tried to reduce the number of variables, leaving the things she couldn't control directly to the bare minimum.

So, for now it was only Mio and Mari Katsuragi who knew. Keima, Eri and Mio's mother didn't. Especially since Mio wasn't so sure about this idea after all.

On one side, working as a waitress in Café Grandpa would have its perks. Quite a few of them actually. This way Mio could get paid, placate her mother ("See? I'm trying to get closer to him"), get to know Eri and Mari more and get the chance to try Mari's cakes and (hopefully) Keima's coffee on regular basis. After all, one of the reasons Mio worked at the bakery of all places was obviously the possibility of getting free bread samples once in a while.

Of course, such samples weren't anywhere near as good as her omelet-soba bread. To this day Mio didn't know what really attracted her to those common-looking sandwiches. Answers like 'the unique sauce' weren't going to cut it. The real reason Mio bought the omelet-soba bread in the first place was because Morita gave it to her after he had bought it himself. Mio tried the sandwich and found the taste pleasing. And it was cheap enough (cheaper then the school cafeteria), while nicely complementing the small bentō her mother prepared each day.

And it went downhill from there – what started as a necessity turned into fondness, craving and need for the bread. Soon, the history went full circle and Mio once again bought the omelet-soba bread out of necessity.

But now this necessity wasn't caused by her hunger at noon, but by simple addiction. Well, being addicted to carbohydrate-rich food wasn't that shameful, right? At least she wasn't eating six sandwiches at once as Keima did with his games.

Still, Mio was probably eating too much bread and wouldn't be surprised if she gained weight, not that she really minded. However, she would have liked to gain height instead – her short stature was something that still irked her to this day. And what was Keima _thinking_ 10 years ago when he told her she wouldn't get any taller? She was what? 112 cm back then? Then it meant she grew almost 40 centimeters since then, thank you very much.

Still, gaining height by eating bread was impossible. However, gaining... fat in certain... parts of her body... it was possible, right? Just as Mio thought that she grabbed her head in frustration. Gah! Did she just spent like ten minutes of her life on inner ramblings about omelet-soba sandwiches and size problems? What was wrong with her head?

Anyway, where was she? Aah... free bread being one of the reasons behind part-time bakery job. Now this will obviously change, however Mio will probably still receive some free sandwiches from Urara and Tsukiyo. Of course, Mio wouldn't accept charity from commoners, but with those two girls it was fine.

So, part-time waitress job had several advantages, the greatest being the possibility to spend more time with Keima and make him notice some of her better points. Hell, Mio would seriously consider showing him her domestic skills... if she had any.

Unfortunately, this 'waitress plan' had also one big fault, one that Mio was running from a lot lately – the possibility of Keima figuring out her intention. I mean, wasn't it suspicious? Mio had bumped into Keima, had followed him, interacted with him, attended Christmas dinner with him and now was going to work at his house?

Such a scenario practically screamed 'I like you, notice me!'. Keima would notice and either bury her chances or just ignore her, depending on whether he'll assess her as 'dangerous' or not.

And Mio didn't want that. She was no longer in safe shallow waters of 'we're just acquaintances'. No, she had admitted she liked Keima and wanted to pursue a relationship with him. Thus, she was now in a middle of deep and stormy sea, far from the coast and couldn't turn back now – she could only stop to rest or press forward. Granted, she had (to keep the water analogies going) a life buoy in the form of Mari and Eri Katsuragi, but it wasn't very reliable one, as Eri was mostly neutral. Mari was even worse – Mio could already see the orange-haired woman's active attempts to get her son and Mio together and this was bad news.

And that was why Mio pretty much begged Mari to not tell Keima about their agreement yet. And it worked, meaning it would remain a secret, at least for a little while longer.

Come to think of it, Mio had promised Keima she will keep his 'getting to know the real' plan a secret. And she had promised Urara that the other girl could became... that when... yeah. Moreover, Urara promised Mio that she won't tell anyone about Mio and Keima's studying sessions (assuming half of Maijima didn't know it by now, what was possible since Eri knew). And then there was the 'waitress secret' Mio was pretty much withholding from Keima, Eri and her own mother.

Not to mention Mio had an advantage over Yui and, as simple as this advantage was, she intended to keep it a secret as well.

Mio furrowed her brows. Was it just her or was there a lot of secrets she kept with various people at the same time? She groaned and put her hand to her temple. This... web of relations and promises was growing out of hand. What will be next? Blackmail material?

Wait... her getting Keima to tutor her was kinda based on blackmail, right?

The teen sighed, too tired by this train of thoughts to even groan. And after some more fidgeting the sleep finally seized her.

It took Mio a few tries before she gathered enough courage and had a talk with her employer. The owner of the bakery wasn't thrilled, but didn't try to stop her, meaning that her contract will last to the end of the month. Mio was relieved that it went that well, but there were still things left to be done. Thus, the blonde headed for Keima's house to inform Mari of the progress. While she walked she thought about Keima. She'll have to tell the gamer about this eventually. And she better made plans quickly – the time was a luxury and she had little of it left.

Back then she didn't know just how little.

She finally reached Café Grandpa and walked inside. It was already late afternoon and sun had all but settled, yet there was still considerable activity in the café. Mio had expected to see Eri waiter, but it was Mari instead, who was just going back to the counter.

"Good evening" Mio said to get the orange-haired woman's attention.

"Oh, Mio" Mari greeted her. "Good timing! Just when I was thinking about calling you" Mio noticed the other woman's entire disposition had some degree of urgency.

"Huh?" Mio uttered. "What do you mean? Is something wrong?"

"Kind of. I need your for something" Mari said quickly, while grabbing the girl by hand and heading deeper into the café.

"Umm..." Mio started not really understanding the situation. "I-I just came here to tell you that I had a talk with my employer and I'll quit at the end of the month."

"That's good, but we'll talk about it later" Mari said. "We have more pressing matters for now" Mari said as they reached the door and Mio could hear some voices from beyond it. The rest of Keima's family perhaps?

"Is it about Keima?" Mio asked, the beginnings of panic showing in her voice.

"Yes" Mari said and lowered herself, so she could look Mio in the eyes. Her hands on the girl's shoulders. "I know that this is sudden and you don't have study session with Keima today, but just pretend you do."

"W-wha-"

"No time for questions" Mari's nails dug a little deeper into Mio's skin. "This is the first... well, second time since such a thing happened in Keima's life and I need you to keep the situation under control."

"I still don't-"

"Just don't be too obvious, but don't fall behind either! I know it might be hard, but you can do it! I believe in you!" Mari gave the girl a look of trust and determination, then she opened the door and forced Mio through it with a hushed "Good luck!" before closing the door once again.

Mio was propelled forward and was almost knocked over, especially since she was still wearing her winter boots. She struggled to keep her balance and straightened herself.

"Oh..." she heard a voice full of polite surprise, before another, more lively followed. "How fancy seeing you here, Aoyama-san!"

Mio blinked, surveying the scene in front of her, her jaw threatening to fall to the floor. She was in the living room of the Katsuragi family, but the only members of the family present were Keima and Eri. The rest of the people were not Keima's family.

And they were all girls.

One of the sofas was occupied by Kusunoki, the rāmen girl... her name was... Sumire and Urara, the last two girls being the ones who greeted Mio. On the sofa next to Kusunoki was Keima, as usual with a PFP in his hand, although he didn't look as if he was detached from reality as usual. Next were shared by Tsukiyo and the librarian, Shiori – the two girls fit on a single sofa thanks to their slim build. Moreover, the young one, Minami, was sitting on a kitchen chair that was brought over to the table. Finally, Eri Katsuragi was lying on the floor, but now her eyes, like everyone else's were trained on Mio.

"What's all this?" Mio asked, although the various books and notes sprawled over the coffee table and on the floor were self-explanatory.

"A study session" Sumire exclaimed, although her part of the table was full of snacks as much as it was of notes. "What else?"

Mio looked at Keima, raising her small noble eyebrow in question.

"Don't look at me. Look at her" the gamer indicated to his sister. "She thought that it was good idea to exploit me and my genius in order to let her pass the exams. And she said she has only told Ayumi and Chihiro... but it obviously escalated from that."

But it doesn't look as if you refused to let them in, Mio thought, before speaking up. "I don't see Ayumi or Chihiro here" she noticed, not caring for the first name basis.

"They were fine with notes alone, so they just took them and left" Sumire explained, not looking up from her notes. "Nanaka was with us too, but she got bored half-way and decided to bother Keima's neighbor, what was her name?"

"Tenri-chan" Eri said, as if she was happy there was something she actually knew.

"Oh, right..."

"And our resident idol?" Mio asked. "Let me guess. Too busy to come?"

"That's right" Sumire confirmed.

"Kanon-chan had a recording to do, so she asked me to pass the notes to her" Eri said. She was overjoyed to be of help to the famous idol, but she also felt the scolding gaze of her brother, who was obviously not happy with this setting.

"Figures..." Mio remarked, but there was still someone missing from this picture. "What about Yui?"

"She refused to join this little study group" Keima remarked. "She stated that – and I quote her here – she's not my student and she's enough academically inclined to cope with her exams by herself."

Mio mulled it over for a second. Yui? Refusing to spend some time with Keima and mark "her" territory? That could mean only one thing – the drummer took Eri's warnings to heart and decided to win Keima over by showing him her independence. Or something like that.

"What Keima said" Sumire summed up. "However, there's still one girl you missed" she told Mio.

"Like who?" the blonde mused aloud. Sumire couldn't mean Kusunoki's older sister or that countryside granny? And obviously it wasn't about that other... evil... woman.

"You" Sumire said simply. "What kinda business do you have here today, Aoyama-san?"

Mio inhaled quietly. Was it her or Sumire voice's was less... neutral than Mio expected it to be?

"That's private" Mio said carefully, glancing at Keima from the corner of her eye and saw him nod slightly, silently giving her permission. "But if you must know, I've been part of this 'study group' looong before it was even formed."

"Is that true?" Urara turned to Keima, feigning surprise. Keima only nodded.

"Eh?" this meek voice belonged to Shiori, who didn't have to pretend to be surprised – apparently Tsukiyo really kept her secret. "F-for real?"

"Is it so shocking?" Mio asked, slightly irritated.

"Yes, it is. Why go so long before the exams?" Sumire asked, a challenging note in her voice.

Mio, however, had her answer ready.

"Because I hate studying, so I wanted to be done with it quickly and efficiently" Mio replied, her own voice raising a little. The tension between the rāmen lover and the blonde was now almost palpable – Tsukiyo arched her eyebrow, Eri glued hey eyes to her notes, pretending she didn't notice. Even Shiori shrunk a little into her sofa. Only Keima seemed completely ignorant, perhaps thanks to the earpieces he was using.

"Could you stop whatever you're doing or at least do it quietly?" Kusunoki growled dangerously. "Some people actually came here to study, you know?"

Both Sumire and Mio flinched and backed from under the older girl's gaze.

"I think we'll need more snacks" Sumire left for the café.

"I'll go grab myself a chair" Mio said.

"Why are you here?" Mio whispered from behind her book, so no-one could see or hear this conversation. She was currently sitting on a sofa with Urara, her winter boots left by the door.

"What do you mean?" the other girl whispered back.

"From all the people here you are the one who needs study help the least" Mio explained and Urara sighed soundlessly.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm helping you" she said and when she saw Mio's questioning look she continued. "I'm keeping an eye on Katsuragi-san, so you know if there are any... threats to your... position."

"You're spying on Keima?"

"Pleeeease... like you didn't do it yourself" Urara said mockingly. "Oh, and Tsukiyo could've left immediately but she stayed to help as well. I guess."

Mio only nodded her head in gratitude before going further into the topic at hand. "Sooo... are there any... threats?"

"I wonder" Urara said and then looked at one of the girls. Mio followed her line of sight before narrowing her eyes. "That rāmen freak..."

Sumire was sitting across from the two girls, mostly trying to memorize her notes. But every once in a while she glanced at Keima, who was busy explaining something to Minami, and then her eyes would haze over with some emotion. Jealousy? Longing? Determination? Mio didn't know.

"Quiet!" Urara hushed her. "But, yes, it's her. All other girls are here strictly for studying or... uh... spying. Except you and her."

"You think she's after Keima?"

Urara frowned at that. "Yes and no. I mean, it looks like she would like for something to happen, but she's either hesitant or passive. I mean, with her personality she should be much more active. In short: you shouldn't worry as long as Keima does nothing."

Mio nodded and then tried to focus on her own studies. Of course, she hadn't planned to do it today, but she couldn't say she came here for something different or just walk away without saying anything, so she said that Urara had invited her along, but hadn't told Mio about other girls being here. Urara frowned a little at the lie, but didn't say anything and Tsukiyo didn't even budge, however Mio didn't know whether it meant the moon lover approved or just wanted nothing to do with this. Everyone else didn't think much of it. Kusunoki probably didn't ever hear the conversation.

Come to think of it, why was martial artist girl like her freaking over final exams like that? And Minami too... she was automatically in high school anyway, so what was the point?

Everything was fine and quiet for some time, with Keima alternating between helping girls and just playing his games, as if he were the only person here. Mio briefly wondered whether he wanted to be alone right now. I mean, this was a perfect opportunity for him to interact with the real world...

Or maybe Keima agreed to this in order to spend some times with his friends, without actually telling them about it?

Soon Minami had to leave, as it was getting rather late for a middle schooler to walk around, leaving Mio with Keima, Eri, Urara, Tsukiyo, Sumire and Kusunoki.

Mio didn't know how it started. Perhaps, the girls stopped the self study and wanted to apply what they just learned into practice by solving some problems. And it didn't go as smooth as they expected, so Keima was now moving from one girl to another, doing individual explanations and tips.

Keima was good at multitasking, but soon he wasn't able to keep up. And it wasn't his fault – the girls simply wanted to monopolize him. Surprisingly, it didn't look like they were going after him in a romantic sense. They simply needed his skills or perhaps wanted some of his attention in completely friendly way (or so Mio hoped).

Urara apparently forgot that she was here for Mio's support and started pestering Keima about some advanced physics problems, earning her a glare from Kusunoki. And it escalated from that. Soon Shiori was trying to grab Keima's attention, Eri was loudly complaining about Keima being "her nii-sama" and Tsukiyo's eyebrow was twitching. Mio was not faring too good as well. She might not be able to admit it out loud, but she had a sort of inferiority complex towards all the girls here and being left out made her panic a little. In other words it was total chaos, with all the girls crowding around Keima.

Except for one.

To Mio's surprise Sumire was not trying to monopolize the gamer as the other girls. Actually, from the way she acted Mio started to doubt whether the rāmen girl harbored any romantic feelings for Keima at all. However, she kept glancing at the commotion with an angry expression, looking as if she wanted to say something.

And Keima should just slow down, but he didn't. He looked as if he was trying to placate every girl. It was strange... not like him.

Finally, it seemed that Sumire had snapped out of nowhere, half-shouting at Urara, demanding the other girls to give Keima a breather and stop acting so pushy. This little jab must've hit home, because soon the girls were arguing, now Keima being the one left out, unable to voice his opinion.

Mio was now blinking, listening to the quarrel.

"This is crossing the line! All of you just come here and use Keima, because you want to get good grades" Sumire accused, finger pointed at Kusunoki, but she was obviously addressing other girls as well. "Don't you think that you're inconveniencing him by doing this?"

"Sumire, it's fine" Keima managed to say, but Sumire would have none of that.

"No, it's not fine!" she said before turning back to the girls. She was standing now. "Keima did so much for all of us and what you do for him in return? You crowd in his house like that without giving anything back! I'm actually surprised he agreed for all of you to come here! Assuming he did agree."

Mio knew the answer to that one – Keima wanted to get along with his new friends. However, he couldn't admit it out loud and him deciding to not shun away his friends didn't mean he was enjoying large gatherings as this one.

So, in general, Sumire was right. And some other girls apparently came to the same conclusion – Kusunoki bit her lip as if in shame and Shiori looked uncertain as well.

"Are you saying you expected us to buy Katsuragi-san games or something in exchange for this?" Urara said, before answering her own question. "That would feel like bribing. There's no need for such a thing among friends!"

"Are you sure this qualifies as 'friends'? " Sumire challenged, pointing to all of them in general. "Just because we share memories with Keima doesn't automatically mean we're friends!"

"Not so loud!" Keima hissed, gazing at the door in panic. It would be a disaster if his mother learned some things she shouldn't know.

Sumire kept her voice down, but didn't stop. "That alone doesn't make you his friends. Especially the ones he wants. Or did you think you could know him and how he feels just with that?"

"Where did that came from?" Urara asked, before her eyes widened. "Since when were you that worried about how Katsuragi-san feels and what he thinks of us?"

"Since the beginning, I presume" Tsukiyo interjected, her narrowed eyes scrutinizing Sumire, as if the blonde was trying to determine whether the rāmen girl was allowed near Keima or not.

Mio felt as if all the girls suddenly became Keima's advisors, chaperones or something. And against his will.

"I-it's not like that!" Sumire shot back at Tsukiyo, her face all red. "Anyway, it's not about me, but about Keima!"

Urara opened her mouth to speak, but then she hesitated, stealing a glance at the gamer, who in turn was eyeing Sumire.

"We've talked about this before" he said addressing the rāmen lover directly. "You don't need to worry about things like that."

"Things like what?" Shiori mumbled out quietly.

"So there is something to worry about?" Kusunoki said in a firm voice, before turning to Keima. "Are we... inconveniencing you, Katsuragi?" she asked, looking worried.

Mio bit her lip as well, feeling something akin to... betrayal? But why? Was she disturbed by the fact that Keima clearly talked with Sumire before? Was Mio jealous that she wasn't the only girl Keima talked with?

It wasn't as if she could do anything about it for now – it's not like she was his girlfriend or anything like that.

"I told you it's fine" Keima said firmly, trying to contain the situation, but the milk has already spilled.

"Yet, you would prefer to play games right now, instead of wasting time with us here" Tsukiyo said.

"I'm not wasting time" Keima replied slowly before showing them the PFP in his hands. "And I'm playing games right now."

"Not the way you would like to" the moon lover noticed.

"Calm down" Kusunoki said firmly before her features softened. "Is something wrong, Katsuragi?" she asked. "You know you can tell us everything, right?"

Keima was quiet, before locking eyes with Mio for an instant. Was he contemplating telling the others about his 'meet the real' project? Would he do it? Should he do it?

In the end Mio never learned of Keima decision, because Tsukiyo spoke up once again.

"I suggest we drop it" she said returning to her calm demeanor. "Keima was never one to talk too much about his actions, so we shouldn't force him like that. He'll tell as if he wants too. And if he says that it's fine to be here like this, then it's fine."

This was a good place to finish this conversation, but apparently Sumire didn't get the hint.

"That still doesn't make it right, to just use him like that!" she said

"You're the one to talk" Tsukiyo shot back, voice hitting colder tones. "You're doing exactly the same thing!"

"No, I'm not!" Sumire half-shouted in anger. "I only came here because I was invited by Eri! And I asked Keima if he was really fine with me coming here! And I didn't come here empty handed!" she pointed at the remnants of a bentō that Mio didn't notice before. "It's you who are actin-"

"Enough!"

Keima had his mouth opened, but he closed it and then turned his head to the source of the voice. The others did so as well, all the gazes now focusing on Mio, as if they forgot she was here. Mio's face was now all red. But not because of embarrassment, but because of anger.

"Don't you think you're going a little too far?" she asked, looking at Sumire, dangerous glint in her eye.

Keima was about to say something, but Mio pulled out her whip out of nowhere and shot Keima a warning shot. The other girls stepped back a little and Shiori hid behind Tsukiyo. Even Kusunoki blinked in surprise.

And why were they all shocked for, Mio thought. Or did they think she was just a short stupid blonde and they could just walk all over her and Keima like that? Not on her watch!

"W-who's going too far?" Sumire finally seemed to regain her voice. "I'm the one who's right and-"

"I know that!" Mio pinned the rāmen girl with her gaze. "I agree with your point... but you can't solve it that way!"

"What?"

"Just look!" Mio indicated to the living room in general. "You think this is what Kei-Katsuragi wants? Us bickering in his own damn house like that? Can't you see you're hurting him as well?"

"I-I don't, I..." Sumire started, but her voice soon trailed off and Mio could see her argument hit where it should.

"I appreciate you're this worried about Katsuragi, but I suggest you think of another way of being useful instead of doing a mess like that."

"Useful?" Sumire shot back, anger and shame giving way to disbelief. "You have some guts! I'm much more useful than you are!"

Mio's eyes narrowed at that. "What was that?"

Keima sensed danger and was already standing up, when he was stopped by Eri of all people.

"What are you-" Keima managed, but Eri silenced him with her hand, making Keima blink.

Wait... was it just him or did a bunch of girls actually ordered him around a lot today?

Eri on the other hand was thinking something else. The way to be friends with Keima and ways to interact him. The girls, Eri included, needed to figure that themselves, without Keima interfering. Especially Mio and Sumire, if they ever wanted to be more than friends with him.

"You heard me" Sumire said. "I try to be helpful to Keima and I'm repenting what I did to him before."

"It wasn't your fault!" Keima suddenly said, surprising the girls. "You couldn't know I hated sweet things! You don't have-"

"No, I selfishly used you as an anchor for my frustrations and as a food sampler" Sumire said, temporarily getting her attention on Keima and off Mio.

"Being an anchor was my job!"

"That didn't make it right to treat you like that! Especially since we're alive thanks to you." Sumire insisted, before calming down. "Now, where were we?"

"You called me useless!" Mio hissed.

"Yes, that was going too far" Tsukiyo decided to interject, earning her a laugh from Sumire.

"You think so? Well, I have a different opinion on you, so called, ojōsamas" Sumire said. "I'm pretty sure you've scarred Keima for life when you did... that" she told Urara.

"I-I was seven back then!" the girl in question defended herself. "And I actually didn't even do anything!"

"And threw his console into the water" Sumire continued.

"Ugh" was all Urara could say.

"Next we have a girl who's slapping strangers just because they stepped on a carpet!" Sumire now turned to Tsukiyo, who was about to say something.

Keima couldn't say anything, as Eri clamped her hand on his mouth.

"And finally, we have sassy whip-happy girl who thinks the worlds revolving around her."

"Yes, I was like that" Mio admitted through gritted teeth. "But not anymore. Actually, I'm helping Keima more than you know."

"Ooh... what exactly do you mean?"

Mio really wanted to tell Sumire about what she and Keima have been doing lately (except for the embarrassing parts and Mio's real intent), but she couldn't, as she promised to keep it a secret. And there was also that other thing, but she wasn't going to disclose it, especially to a possible rival.

But she supposed an indirect mention was okay.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you the details. It's between me and Keima" at this several pairs of eyes blinked in disbelief. "And yes, you're not the only girl Keima talks with about his problems."

Mio didn't intend for it to be a jab. She was just stating a fact and trying to reason, but Sumire still reacted as if she received a hit, her expression hardening in helplessness.

"However, if you want to see me being useful, then wait here" Mio said, before turning towards the door. "I'll be right back."

Mio left the living room and headed for the café, where she found Mari behind the counter, humming softly, before turning to see the newcomer.

"Oh, Mio-chan... I thought it was Eri" the woman then noticed the look on Mio's face. "Mio-chan?"

"I have a favor to ask" Mio said quietly. "Could you pretend it was me who wanted to do this waitress job in the first place and that I asked you to hire me right now and not before? Oh, and you were looking for a waitress because... I don't know, to gave your daughter more time to study? And that I was adamant that you hire me?"

"Umm... yes" Mari responded after a longer moment. "Why?"

"I just need... umm... argument against one of the girls."

"The rāmen cook?" Mari asked.

"Yeah" Mio replied before doing a double take. "Wait... how did you know? And how do you know she's a rāmen cook?"

"Well, I've seen her here before. Twice" Mari started. "And after that I asked Eri if she knew anything and she told me that girl owns a rāmen shop in Narusawa City" Mari stopped when she realized something. "Those other girls. Do you know them Mio?"

Mio gulped at that, thinking how to explain it without getting Keima (and herself) into trouble. "Well... one of them is my classmate, another is my childhood friend and the third is kinda famous in our school, so yeah, I know them" Mio got Tsukiyo, Urara and Kusunoki out of the picture quickly, hoping that Mari wouldn't ask any more questions.

"Is that so?" the orange-haired woman murmured in thought. "Anyway... this rāmen girl, it seemed she's interested in Keima. And even if she isn't, such gathering of girls around my son is abnormal and I was afraid they might have some kind of ulterior motive. And my son is so unused to girls, so I'm glad you're here to keep your finger on the pulse."

Mio nodded, keeping the comments about Keima being unused to girls to herself. Figuring she spent here enough time to make her gamble believable, she thanked Mari and turned around, heading back to the living room.

When Mio entered the living room again, there was a considerable difference. The tension was still noticeable, but it was calm and the girls seemed to step back, probably reaching some kind of silent agreement. Sumire in particular was quiet and seemed embarrassed by her outburst. She probably realized she was at fault as well, even if her intentions were good. Keima seemed normal, but Mio would bet her monthly allowance that this entire thing actually rattled him considerably.

"Oh, Mio-sama, you're back" Eri noticed, making several other girls widen they eyebrows at the suffix.

"Yeah, and I have something to announce" Mio replied.

"Umm... you don't have to prove anything, Aoyama...-san" Sumire spoke up. "What I said before was... wrong... I should've phrased it differently. I was just worried about Keima."

"You're not the only one" Kusunoki said. The martial arts girls seemed to be the source of the tension, practically radiating a dangerous aura. She was probably the one who calmed everyone and it must've taken some actual threats of physical violence. "And just so you know, Aoyama-san, I will not tolerate any of you inconveniencing Katsuragi any further. Do you understand?"

"There's no need for that" Mio said. "Unlike common sixteen years old girls, I have experience with part-time job" she paused for a moment to get everyone's attention. And she succeeding, having several curious pairs of eyes on her. She could get used to that kind of attention. She glanced to Keima and saw his eyes widen a little in understanding. So he figured it out, huh? "Thus... I'll show that I can be helpful... by working here part-time... as a waitress."

There were two seconds of silence after which there was a collective "What!?"

"Mio-sama is going to work here?" Eri started, sounding excited.

"Wearing those cute waitress outfits like in a maid café?" Kusunoki asked, before realizing what she said and blushing.

Urara was quiet, shock written all over her face, before she and Tsukiyo exchanged meaningful glances. Shiori was completely quiet. And Sumire kept opening and closing her mouth as a fish brought out of water.

"W-we don't need a waitress!" Keima tried, but Mio cut him off.

"And how would you know that?" she said. "Your mother says Eri can't do it all the time because of her schoolwork."

"That's right" Eri mused aloud.

"You talked with my mother?" Keima was starting to panic.

"Duh... of course. Why do you think I left just now? For bathroom?"

"And my mother said yes?"

"That's right."

"B-but aren't you working at the bakery now?" Urara asked.

"So what? I'll just quit that job. And it's too late to object. It's done."

It was quiet for a moment.

"Well, that was unexpected" Sumire stood up. "And I admit it's something" then she shot Mio a funny look. "Of course assuming that you can actually pull it off."

"You doubt it?" Mio stepped closer.

"If you have something to discuss, do it outside" Kusunoki said calmly. "Or else" she bumped her fist into her palm for emphasis.

"Yeah, yeah. Then I guess I'll have to come here sometime and see the service for myself" Sumire said with a smile. "Anyway, it's getting late and I kinda need to get going" she said. "And sorry about before" she added in the direction of Keima, who only nodded.

After that the girls started to leave one by one.

"We'll going to have a talk tomorrow" Urara whispered to Mio.

"And why not now?" the blonde replied.

"Because right now someone else wants to talk with you" Urara motioned with her chin, pointing at Keima.

Oh, right...

"Can you tell me why did you do this?" Keima asked when he and Mio were alone, his eyes glued to his PFP. Eri was upstairs taking a bath.

"Because I may be a sassy little girl, but I'm not useless and I wanted to prove that" Mio replied.

"We don't need a waitress, maid or anything like that" Keima repeated.

"Not my diagnosis" Mio chirped. "Besides, your mother said she was thinking about getting a help and Eri needed to study more, so you have to deal with it. Actually, you can treat it as another step in our... agreement."

"About that. Why didn't you tell them about this... agreement?" Keima asked, raising his eyes from his console. "That way you could've showed how helpful you are to me."

"Proving being useful by spilling secrets I promised to keep?" Mio scoffed. "You think I'm dumb or something?"

Keima nodded. "Then thanks... I guess."

"No problem" Mio smirked. "That's what friends are for."

"I don't need friends" Keima told her.

"Doesn't mean you don't have them" she reminded him.

"Good point..."

Keima wasn't looking at her, so he couldn't see her smile widen a bit.

"Anyway, now it's your turn" she said after a moment.

"My turn?" Keima asked surprised.

"Yeah... back then you were trying to calm the situation down" Mio reminded him.

"Are you surprised?"

"A bit... I mean, Sumire shouldn't be so hostile about it, but she had a point and you shouldn't try to stop her. And if you had wanted to avoid this situation altogether, then you wouldn't have agreed for all of them to come. But you did" Mio paused and continued only when Keima looked at her. "You were trying to be considerate and couldn't refuse, right?" Keima widened his eyes. "But I think you're going about it the wrong way" Mio said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you always divided your world into two parts: games and reality" Mio started. "Your embraced the former and completely rejected the latter. However, now you've found... friends in the real and decided to get a little closer to the real in order to... how should I say it... not offend us."

"More or less, yes" Keima confirmed. "What about it?"

"The thing is... you treat us as the part of the real. Of course, we are from the real, but you shouldn't think about us like that. I think you should treat us like, I don't know, a third 'part'. So you have games, reality and us."

"Is that any different?" Keima said after a moment.

"Yes!" Mio sighed. "You treat us as a part of reality and are afraid of speaking up. In a way you're similar to this librarian girl – you're trying to maintain a positive relationship with all of us, but it's difficult, so you're worried that you'll make a mistake and offend us. You fear you're not able to treat as the way we deserve."

Keima narrowed his eyes, studying Mio. "And your point is?" he asked.

"My point is – stop acting as if we are any other strangers in your life" Mio half-yelled. "We all know what you think of your games! We all know how you act! We know what you did and why you did it! You don't have to-you shouldn't treat us like we're normal people who despise you and don't know what's going on! You should trust us a bit more, you know?" she finished with a slightly offended look on her face.

"Don't look at me like that" Keima told her. "I trusted you. Quite a bit actually."

"You didn't have much choice, but let's not talk about it" Mio said. "The thing is, you're afraid to act as your usual self, because you want everyone to be happy. You try to prioritize everyone's happiness" something then occurred to her and she furrowed her brow. "Wait, you're not aiming for a harem ending, are you?"

At this Keima choked on absolutely nothing.

"Are you stupid?" he asked only to get a bonk on the head from the girl.

"Don't call me stupid!" she ordered, before going back to the topic at hand. "Anyway, I think from this point on you should try talking with us more openly instead of acting nice and hoping it will solve everything."

"Taking advice from the real" Keima mumbled after a moment. "Am I really doing this?"

"Yup" Mio told him. "And I told you – you should rely on me a bit more when it comes to the reality."

"Perhaps I will..."

At this Mio finally realized that she was alone with Keima in his house, talking about quite private topics and she blushed. This kinda felt like an achievement. A privilege. But she didn't want to push her luck, so she stood up. "A-anyway, It's late. I need to get going."

Keima only nodded.

Mio grabbed her winter boots and was already by the door when she heard Keima speak.

"Thank you" he said, a small a bit sad smile on his lips. "Friend."

Mio grinned at him. "You bet I am!" she said and then left.

It was dark and cold outside, but Mio wasn't paying attention to it. It seemed that today was rather successful. Aside from the need to keep her eye on Sumire, Mio managed to make another step with her waitress job and beat some sense into several people, Keima included. And Keima even admitted they were friends.

And the last part was what made Mio grit her teeth.

Because even a total newbie in the galge department like her could well enough see the signs of a friend-zone ending...

 **(* * *)**

 **Well... as you can see, there is a serious discord in this chapter. Originally it was supposed to describe Mio already working in the café, but one thing led to another and I have ended with pretty dramatic chapter. There is no Yui. Sumire acts as possible love rival (and frankly, I haven't decided yet what role she will play in the end... except for one part I will need her later on in the story) and chastises girls about how they treat Keima. Mio reveals her new job...**

 **...the thing is... I feel it's not consistent and I had _real_ problems with writing this arguing scene so it would flow, at least a little. In the end it may feel that some character are acting... well... out of their characters. This is partially my fault, but not fully and this is where I would like to let you know about one thing.**

 **Every XxxNomi will work differently.**

 **This is of course necessary in order to ensure some variety in the plots and in each individual girl's approach to Keima. In order for this to be done I decided to play with the personalities of the characters. So don't get surprised if in AyumiNomi Keima rejects real and here he tries harder to blend with it. Both of those version are plausible, given the ending of the manga, so what I'm doing here is working with different aspects of Keima's and the girls' personalities.**

 **Moreover, you might notice that girls argue with each other, while in AyumiNomi they were really friendly during Ayum's birthday. Notice, however, that Ayumi's birthday were in May and here we only have late January. So the time is different and the personalities are highlighted differently as well. I just needed to clarify this and I hope you'll be okay with this.**

 **Going back to the chapter. As I said, I didn't plan for most of the things that happened here, but I managed to establish a few interesting conditions. We have a glimpse at Keima's view of his companions. We get to see Mio act a little tougher (she was getting too soft too often lately, even I can see that). And Keima admits he considers Mio a friend... which makes a big glowing "FRIEND ZONE" sign appear in her mind. And this finally gives us something that I was looking for lately – a little bit of the drama. We'll see what will come out of it, especially with Sumire and Yui still lurking in the shadows...**

 **...however I also know that we already have 50 000 words and there's a lot of things I would like to cover. Namely romance that actually works. We're getting there – getting closer to one particular scene I had in my head for like forever.  
**

 **Thus, I would like to kindly ask you to stick with me and be** **patient with me.  
**

 **A few minor things to point out: 1) I don't really know when the exams on the end of the year happen in Japan. I hope it did it more or less correctly. 2) And if you don't know when Mari met Sumire then refer back to flags 12 and 18 in KamiNomiNai. 3) I probably shouldn't pay attention to such details, but I was wondering whether there is a wall separating the kitchen in Keima's house from the living room, so in the end I just avoided the issue. 4) Don't ask me how did Mari not hear all that arguing and didn't barge in. I have no idea myself.**

 **As usual I ask you, both the regulars and new readers, to support this story and reviewing. I'm always happy to see what you're thinking about Keima, Mio and the plot.**

 **I hope the next chapter will be posted before the next two weeks are out.**

 **See you next time!**


	8. Flag 48: Tranquillo

**Hello, everyone. I'm back!**

 **And it's been a while...**

 **And the general reason for this is I've been having problems with the chapters. I needed to address some things and I wanted to close this arc. The important thing is that this chapter was more or less finished a few days ago. The reason it hadn't been posted is because I was fairly certain it will be one big chapter, so I strove to finish it. It seems I miscalculated however, so in the end I split it into two chapters. This one is a shorter one (~3500 words). The next one will be longer and will be posted shortly (on Sunday I hope), as soon as I finish and proof-read it.**

 **Anyway, I would like to thank all of you for your continued support of this story. I hope this and the next chapter will be worth it. Here are the replies for the reviews:**

 **Neonspy:** Hi. I'm very glad you like my approach to the characters. I think no-one said it before, not in such a manner anyway. So thank you. And be free to ramble about characters. Actually, that's the feedback I kinda need – the readers' opinion on things like plot and characters. And once again – I don't mind long reviews at all. Thank you once again.

 **NotAnAuthor504:** Hello. I'm glad you liked the chapter. Also I didn't know Kusunoki was your favorite character. I guess we learn new things everyday, huh? Yes, I am the writer and for me the characters are just a bit OOC, but I'm afraid it's not that simple. The only real excuse I have is that characters change depending on things like flow of time or circumstances. Anyway, thank you for your support. I'm hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well.

 **ZelgadisGW:** Purr-e purr-fection ;). As I said, this takes place a few months "earlier" than the birthday party shown in AyumiNomi and it's a different reality, so things are not the same. I also didn't really want to give Sumire such ungrateful part to play, but she seemed the best suited for the role at the time (except, perhaps, Tsukiyo, but she had a different role). And it's more than likely that similar concepts will appear in various Nomis. I would like to avoid that, but I don't think it's possible. And about the friend-zone thing... we'll see...

 **Sasori69:** I'm glad you're okay with the previous chapter. Concerning Vulcan/Tsukiyo, you have a valid points, so here's the explanation. First, note that Ayumi forgot only about what she did _inside_ the orb. She didn't forget anything done _outside_. In other words, Vulcan will still remember how to make orb, because it's the 'outside' type of knowledge. Second, Vulcan at the very least _promised_ all goddess hosts a chance and she's not the one to go back on her word. And the news of the orb is about to spread or already has, so the other girls will want in as well. I hope that clears this up.

 **DarkBladerZX:** Thanks. :) I hope you'll like this chapter as well.

 **Shawn Raven:** Hello. Once again thank you for your review and sorry for the long reply. And can I join you for the face palm thing? :) Anyways, I think the girls are both needy and not needy. Depends on the definition of "needy" :). However, most of the girls only view Keima as friend, someone to correct, study help, someone to admire or their savior at best. They don't view his as boyfriend material or at the very least won't act on it by themselves. The other girls however... :) As for the hostile moment. I won't lie to you – it went too fast and I'm not too happy with it. I should've planned it more or abandoned it completely. However, you have to realize that the girls represent different archetypes... and even then they tend to wander outside their "route". In short: real girls are complicated and different. And they're all seventeen. Keima and some other characters are geniuses, but the others aren't. Some of the girls are actually pretty prone to manipulation and outbursts. They are also not very familiar with each other and each other's intention. They can get frustrated easily, especially when they realize they're powerless. So the whole situation is not so far-fetched, just somewhat out-of-character (and pretty much only for Sumire). And you have a point about such drama needing proper resolution and I hope I'll be able to do that, so Sumire will appear again. However, I don't really agree about that drama being unnecessary. I'm tempted to just do KeimaxMio story that just flows without problems... but somehow I can't believe it would be that simple. We need something more. Maybe I just executed this 'something' poorly. No-one of us wanted that, but it can happen.

 **Anonimo0:** Hi. Tenri might not want to lose her feelings for Keima, but I think she needs that the most out of all the girls. Thus, I'm currently not considering any ideas like the ones you mentioned.

 **DPSS:** Hello. It's been a while, if I'm correct. I'm glad to know you're still here. :) Back to your question. By "can we have [a harem ending]?" do you mean 1) a harem in MioNomi, 2) a harem as the end of all "Nomis" or 3) a related/unrelated harem-themed series? The first one won't happen and the second is extremely unlikely. The third one should happen. The question is when. The truth is, the only things stopping me from writing a separate harem KamiNomi story are 1) the lack of time, 2) my readers would then have to follow 2 rarely-updated series at the same time which doesn't seem as such a good idea and 3) the need to figure out the setting details. Because, seriously, there would be a looot of girls in the harem. Making such a setting for mangas like Sekirei or Omamori Himari would be (relatively) easy as there are around 6 girls to deal with. In KamiNomi it's muuuch more difficult. Well, I have _some_ parts of the setting figured out already, but that's only some parts... Anyway, it would be nice if you, or other readers for that matter, elaborated on what you meant in more detail, so feel free to PM me, post a thread on a forum or leave another review. :)

 **One more thing, which I forgot to mention some time ago and this concerns the prequel (AyumiNomi). ZelgadisGW was nice enough to draw a fanart depicting one of the scenes from the final chapter and I think he did one hell of a job. I put the link in AyumiNomi, but I'm putting it here as well, so if you have read entire AyumiNomi, then you might want to check it. The link is: http:(s)(s).com(s)art(s)How-is-my-little-goddess-610959948. Just replace all (s) with /.**

 **Okay, that's it. Let's get to the chapter, shall we?**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

It was early February and Mio currently was past the first stage of getting the hang of being a waitress working in the Café Grandpa.

Well, the waitress part was accurate for the most part, however Mio quickly came to a realization that the atmosphere in the café was dangerously close to the an actual maid café. A prospect Mio was terrified of.

But could anyone blame her? I mean, Mio Aoyama, former ojōsama, noblewoman and celebrity calling other _common_ people per 'master'? Greeting them with 'welcome home, master'?

Hell no!

Fortunately, it remained, more or less, a regular café and Mari was forced to hang a couple of appropriate signs which read "We are not a maid café".

And why would people think they were a maid café?

Well, let's start with the fact that up to this point Café Grandpa was a pretty quiet place frequented mostly by regulars and middle-aged people and was managed almost exclusively by Mari herself. However, ever since Eri started to help with the shop, the number of the customers increased and Mari was quick to notice why. Thus, she bought an uniform for Eri and it proved pretty successful... until Eri stopped using it for some reason.

Mari, however, did not give up. Yes, by hiring Mio she wanted to improve the chances of her son getting a girlfriend, but she also honestly believed in possibility of expanding her business. And right now she had two young and cute girls serving as waitresses. One of them was sweet, innocent-looking, carefree and clumsy, while the other was dignified, short and a little harsh.

Of course, Mari instructed Mio how to act as a waitress. Thus, Mio was allowed to look down on the customers, talk back to them and insult them, providing she was not too rough. She was even allowed to get a little physical, when dealing with customers her own age. And Mio had no problem with that part of the job.

However, she was also required to get nicer to the customers after she took their orders. That part of the job was harder to do, but it was apparently working as the popularity of the café was already spiking.

"Just as planned" Mari exclaimed not two days after the plan was put in motion, when customers got used to the change and were spending more time watching the staff then drinking their coffee.

Truthfully, Mio was a little crept out by some customers. Not that it was exactly new – she was a seventeen year-old girl high school girl, after all. Still, this waitress uniform thing was very... specific-looking and Mio wasn't surprised that Eri was embarrassed to wear it as well. And two teenage girls in such uniforms was exactly why customers confused the shop with a maid café.

Anyway, the final second year exams were just around the corner, so Mio was currently working only two hours per day and used the rest of the time to study. And she, alongside with Eri, were the only girls who were personally tutored by Keima – all others were only receiving notes as for now.

This was a direct result of the 'mass tutoring' incident before. Mio wasn't sure whether Keima distanced himself or the other girls decided to give him a breather and focus on the exams. And Yui was studying on her own – both to show her independence and please her mother.

Thus things were relatively calm, but Mio wasn't fooled – the issue she liked to call 'Sumire's case' was still largely unsolved. Yet, right now she could do nothing about it. And what's worse, Keima was seemingly ignoring the entire situation – he didn't comment on the incident nor on her working in his house. But maybe she should take it as a good sign?

Like they said – no bad news was good news, right?

Those were Mio's thoughts as she was cleaning last of the tables. It was Tuesday, which meant the café would be closed much earlier than usual. Mari was currently behind the counter, while Eri was in the other part of the house, cleaning.

Mio straightened herself and wiped her brow, before surveying the room. There were no more customers right now, so she could relax for a moment. She went to the toilet and when she was back Mari called her.

"Mio-chan" the woman started. "I need to go out for a while to buy some supplies. Can I leave the shop to you and Eri?"

Mio hesitated only for a moment. It was a lot of responsibility, especially this early on, but Mio was eager to prove herself. And it's not like she'll be alone – Eri will be here as well.

"Yes. I'll do my best."

"Great" Mari replied. "I'll tell Eri on my way out. And here is the coffee for the customers."

Mio sighed soundlessly, but grabbed the two cups, turned around and immediately recognized two Mai High uniforms.

And their owners for that matter.

"I'll be damned. It was true after all!" Chihiro Kosaka exclaimed from her chair.

"I told you so" her running companion and childhood friend, Ayumi Takahara replied.

Mio didn't say anything, too surprised to respond.

"Umm" Ayumi started after a moment. "Are you going to just stand there with our coffee?"

Mio blinked and then put the two cups on the table.

"No 'here you are, master' or something like that?" Chihiro asked, chuckling.

"No" Mio said, pointing to the 'we're not a maid café' sign.

"Still, a greeting would be nice" the band leader said.

"Back at you" Mio replied.

"I'm older than you!" Chihiro noticed. "We both are!"

"But we're all second years. You're not my sempai..." Mio noticed.

"This is Katsuragi's coffee?" Ayumi changed the topic, sipping her beverage. "It's good but not as exquisite as I heard..."

"It's not Kei-Katsuragi's" Mio corrected herself quickly. "He's at some stupid game shop right now. This coffee was made by the owner."

"It's Katsuragi's mom's coffee, huh?" Ayumi said. "Not bad. I think I'll come here again."

"Thank you for your patronage then" Mio said, preparing to leave, but was stopped by Chihiro.

"You're leaving us already?" the band leader asked. "Shouldn't you entertain your customers a little more?"

"I'm not your personal maid" Mio clarified.

"But there are no other customers here. C'mon, sit down with us."

Mio narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Do you have some business with me or something?"

"You could say that. We've heard about that little incident not so long ago" Chihiro smirked, but she didn't look amused. "The one when you caused some problems for Katsuragi."

"Me?!" Mio snapped. "All girls back then were trying to monopolize him and it was that rāmen freak who couldn't keep calm and you're blaming me?! Get your facts straight!"

"It matches what Eri said" Ayumi noticed when Chihiro was opening her mouth to retort.

"But it doesn't make much sense" Chihiro complained after a moment. "Why would... Uemoto-san get so defensive about Katsuragi?"

"Maybe she's just genuinely worried about him?" Ayumi mused.

Chihiro sniggered. "Do you seriously believe in that?" she asked. "In lack of ulterior motives?"

"Of course I do. I don't have any ulterior motive to worry about Katsuragi" Ayumi defended, before glancing at Chihiro. "Do you?"

"O-of course not!" the band leader responded angrily. "But I still think Uemoto...-san's just angry because other girls showed interest in Katsuragi."

They're not interested in him, Mio thought. Not in that way. They just want to spend some time with him and get better grades. And Mio was fine with it as long as they weren't after him romantically...

"Well... Uemoto-san seemed _very_ interested in Katsuragi back there at the train station" Ayumi noticed. "I guess, she's still in love with him."

Mio just shook her head and turned to leave. She didn't consider the runner and the band leader her friends or at least she wouldn't admit it, so there was no reason to listen to their conversation any longer, especially since they seemed to completely forget about Mio. Well, she was a waitress here, so it was only normal to be a background to customers most of the time.

She already made a step when she heard Ayumi continue.

"Anyway, it's normal for Sumire-san to have a thing for Katsuragi, but I didn't expect that from Mio-san" Ayumi said.

Mio almost tripped.

"W-what?! I don't have a _thing_ for that guy!" she snapped at Ayumi. "And it's 'Aoyama-san' to you!" she added.

"Actually, it's 'customer-san' to _you_ " Chihiro shot back, grinning, making herself comfortable in her chair. "And why would we think you have a thing for him? From what I heard you were acting as strange and defensively about Katsuragi as Uemoto-san was. And what reason would be for you to work here other than to get closer to him?"

"Do you always believe what you've heard?" Mio asked before she remembered Chihiro could often by seen with a girl's magazine full of gossip and sighed. "Of course you do. For your information – I intervened precisely because of that rāmen freak! She was causing trouble for Ke-Katsuragi as well and then she had the gall to accuse _me_ of being useless!" at this point Mio smiled a haughty smile and shot her nose high, her eyes closed. "Of course, my pride wouldn't allow to leave such a manner unaddressed, so I hired myself here. I was working anyway, so this is merely a change of employer."

"Well, that makes sense" Ayumi admitted, sipping on her coffee, before looking up at Mio again "But I still think you like Katsuragi."

Mio huffed at that. "I'd appreciate it if you kept your insinuations to yourself" she said, before turning around and walking away.

"Wait!" Ayumi said. "I still want to order something! I'll send a letter of complaint! Hey!"

"In a minute" Mio retorted.

I have Keima's mother on my side, so you can send all the letters you want, she thought. She then walked the other part of the house, where Eri was currently cleaning the floor and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Your classmates are in the café" Mio said. "I think you're the better choice to deal with them."

(* * *)

Mio was tired. Math had that kinda effect on her. It's not like she disliked math more than others subjects... it's just that she _really_ needed math. She needed more advanced parts of it and she needed to actually _understand_ it and be able to successfully apply it in practice.

So far it was going less than stellar, finally causing Mio to groan as she rested her head on the desk, making Keima look at her from over his gaming throne.

Yes, Mio Aoyama was currently in Keima Katsuragi's room and even she wasn't exactly sure how it happened.

Well, Eri was done studying (her simple mind could take only so much before she had to do something else) and was doing god knows what in her room. Furthermore, she refused to let Keima and Mio inside, probably her way to let them figure things by themselves. And then Mio suggested to go to Keima's room, so she will interfere with his daily gaming schedule as little as possible.

Looking back on it, it was weird. Like really, really weird. First, Mio needed light to study, while Keima needed nothing but the shine from his monitors. Second, Keima muted out his games (he wasn't using headphones in the case Mio needed something), but she could still very well see what he was doing.

And it irked her.

How could it not? He was paying attention to several virtual _pretty_ girls while she was right there. In spite of that she couldn't really do anything about it. Yes, she certainly didn't like his creepy gaming habits, but she respected his right for privacy and choice of hobby, so she had no right to say anything.

"What's wrong?" his question brought her out of her reverie. "Do you have problem with something?"

"Not really" she replied, trying for a neutral expression. "I'm just fed up with all this studying."

"Wasn't it your idea in the first place?" he asked, already back to his gaming.

"Yes, but I think this is enough. Any more and I'll go crazy" she said. "I'll just stick to the notes just before my exams."

Keima nodded and for a moment there was nothing, but the sound of Mio packing her belongings into her bag... until he heard the sound of chair being scrapped along the floor. He turned in surprise only to see Mio sit next to his throne.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Learning the art of conquering girls from the god" she said. "It's a joke" she added when Keima looked at her incredulously. "I think a friendly interrogation is in order."

"Why would I be interrogating you?" he asked.

"Don't play dumb. I am one doing the interrogation here" Mio shot him a glare. "Did you do anything about the girls... other than ignoring them?"

"I didn't have to" Keima replied. "They're all busy with the preparation for exams-"

"In which case they would be here as before" Mio interrupted him. "But they aren't. Do you know why?"

"Enlighten me."

"Because they're afraid to strain their friendship with you" Mio told him. "Now they're as just afraid of inconveniencing you as you were afraid to inconvenience them."

"I'm not afraid!" Keima said, snapping his head from his monitors.

"Yeah, right" Mio rolled her eyes. "In any case, I know it's exams time right now, but you should do something about it before the situation escalates" she said, although internally she berated herself.

Was she really encouraging him to get closer with other girls? Was she further pushing herself into friend zone? What would be next? Her setting up a date for him with some other girl?

"It won't escalate" Keima responded firmly.

"Oh really? Then how you're going to explain your two classmates coming in here today and asking about the rāmen freak?"

Keima flinched. "They did?" he asked and Mio nodded. "Ayumi and Chihiro?" another nod.

"Tsk" Keima clicked his tongue. "Anyway. I'll do something about it after the exams."

Mio narrowed her eyes. "You're not trying to go back to being a total outcast again, are you?"

"And what if I am?" Keima's glare matched her own. "What's it to you?"

"Don't try this tough attitude with me" Mio crossed her arms over her small chest. "It doesn't work on me."

Keima didn't comment on that. Instead he kept staring at Mio for a few moments. And then he asked a question that made Mio start sweating.

"What do you care so much about me?" he said, seeming honestly curious.

It was a very dangerous question, but it was also an obvious flag. It could be a chance and, if it weren't for the mood, Mio might've went right for it.

"You don't get it, do you?" she said with mocking tone. "We all care. I shouldn't really talk in their place, but I'm pretty sure everyone really cares about you. True, sometimes we might not understand you or maybe we don't express our care as we should, be we care. Your classmates, the devils, goddesses, the rāmen freak. Me."

"That's interesting" Keima said. "But you haven't answered my question."

"I have" Mio countered. "My reasons are not that much different from others."

"And those reasons are?"

"Let's see..." Mio drawled sarcastically and then started to count on her fingers. "First, you saved our world from being taken over by actual demons" one finger. "Second, you saved Yui and Urara, who were always my friends" second finger. "And third – you saved me directly. You set me free both from that spirit thing and from my past. I'm practically born-again thanks to you" she strained to not show too much emotion and weakness. This conversation was dangerous enough as it was. "I think that's enough reasons. So don't think of us as your enemies. And don't forget I'm your friend."

Keima opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it, before sighing. It was silent for a moment and Mio was grateful for it. She needed it to calm herself down.

"I knew I don't need friends" Keima spoke finally.

"Wrong" Mio told him, but Keima continued as if he didn't hear her.

"But I didn't know how hard _having_ friend actually was" he said. "Eri. Haqua. Tenri. Dokurō. They were all troublesome in one way or another. But I always thought that I would know how to act with them... but it seems never having friends means I don't know what I should do."

"I know what you shouldn't do. Don't try to be someone you are not. Don't make the same mistake I did" Mio told him, biting her lip. "Don't go out of your way to accommodate us when it's against your principles. I know that some parts of you might be changing right now... and I think they should. Coming out of your comfort zone is what you need, but don't become someone else. Just be Keima Katsuragi."

Keima's lips morphed into a small smile. "Anything else, mom?"

"So now, I'm your mother, huh?" Mio snorted in feigned offense, but inside she was glad. Here she was – personally witnessing Keima Katsuragi's growth. It was for her eyes. Hers and no-one else's. "Well, what I just told you is just a personal opinion. What you do with this is up to you."

"So you're not going to nag me about it again?" he asked.

"Depends" she smirked. "If you don't do anything about it then I'll have to have a word with you again. And I really don't want to talk about the same damn thing for the third time."

"Logical" Keima concluded and he was about to turn back to his games when Mio interrupted him.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" she told him, arms crossed over her chest, foot tapping against the floor impatiently.

"Yes... thank you."

"That's nice" Mio smirked. "But words aren't enough."

"Hoo?" Keima turned to her, piercing her with his gaze. "And what would satisfy you, my lady?"

My lady. Mio had to fight the urge to shiver at that phrase. That was what she wanted. For Keima to speak to her like that, to treat her like that, to think of her like that. And she was so close to him now and not only in physical distance – he opened his heart to her a little. And he was going through a difficult time for him. Like a snake – he was vulnerable while shedding his old skin. If he truly was a tsundere, then now might be a good opportunity to strike.

"Mio...-san?" his voice brought her out of her reverie.

She looked up at him and was just about to ask him openly when their eyes met and she saw something in his eyes. Difficult time or not, Keima's guard wasn't lowered. Not all way down, anyway. In one moment she was once again reminded of his skills. For an instant she hesitated and then it was gone.

She backed down. And her chance was over. Maybe they'll be others, but this one was lost forever.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah... just tired... Where I was..." she brushed some loose strands out of her forehead. "Oh yeah... as for thanks... you can start with bringing me a cup of coffee. Your coffee."

"I can do that."

"Then" Mio continued. "You have to buy me some omelet soba bread. And more if I do good on my exams. And you have to treat me to a dinner."

Keima blinked.

"Can't I just like... give you 2000 yen or something?"

"Nope, you have to do all of it" she told him. "It's part getting to know the real. Remember?"

Keima chuckled. "Yeah, how could I forget? But buying you bread if you do well on your exams? I'm sorry about this 'mom' thing. You don't think I'm your father" Keima paused. "Do you?"

Mio laughed. "Of course not, idiot. You're nothing like my papa" she told him. "Now, no more excuses. Get your ass moving and get my coffee."

"Yes, ma'am" he said and then walked out of the room, leaving his games paused.

Mio waited for him to leave... and then sighed in relief, hiding her head in her hands and raking her fingers through her hair.

And groaned.

First they were partners. Then friends. That sounded promising, but it wasn't necessarily the best pattern. And now he thinks she's projecting her papa's image on him?

She wasn't... right?

And she almost blundered back then. And it wasn't the first time either.

How long did she have?

How long till she makes a mistake and it's over? How long should she wait?

What if it was her last chance?

For the rest of her stay she was watching Keima play his games, but she was really watching him.

She was so close and now it seemed that the distance between them was increasing. Again.

The thought gave birth to a new wave of fear and sadness and even Keima's wonderful coffee would not dispel it.

 **(* * *)**

 **Well, as you can see, this chapter is mostly non-action one and an extension to the previous one, showing some after-effects. I did manage to touch upon some subtle topics and dynamics between Mio, Keima and other girls, but it's fairly calm chapter, hence the title ("tranquillo" is Italian for "calm" and I know – it's a crappy title yet again). However, the next chapter will be more dramatic to say the least, so stay tuned for future developments! As I said the next chapter should appear in two days or so.  
**

 **As always, I encourage you to support me by reading, following, favoriting and reviewing this story.**

 **See you next time!**

 **(* * *)**

 **We won't be having any pokemakes for a while, but here's a little idea me and my brother came across, when we thought what would happen if Tenri was yandere. This idea is brought to you by The Dark Knight (2008).**

 **"Yui-san" Tenri said quietly, getting the drummer attention.**

 **"Oh, hey Tenri, what's up?" the other girl replied cheerfully.**

 **"I've heard you're going after Keima-kun."**

 **"Yes, that's right."**

 **"I think you should stop" Tenri suggested with closed eyes and an innocent smile on her lips.**

 **"And why would I do that?"**

 **"How about a magic trick?" Tenri continued to smile as she brought a pencil out of nowhere and slammed it into table with such power that it embedded itself in its surface. Tenri then leaned over and started doing magical gestures. "I'm gonna make this pencil disappear..."**


	9. Flag 49: The good, the bad and the ugly

**Hello, everyone! I'm back as promised... well... almost as promised...**

 **The thing is... this entire "arc ending" is practically 12 000 words (not including any author's notes). I initially wanted to divide it into Flags 48 (~3500 words) and 49 (~8500 words). However, the latter contains very important scenes and I struggled with wording in quite many places, thus I decided it is necessary to further divide this into two chapters of roughly 4000 words.**

 **In other words, you've already seen Flag 48, here is Flag 49, but there is still Flag 50, which is almost ready and should appear on Tuesday or so. Hopefully, this will make it easier to read all the parts and understand what is going on as important things are going to happen.**

 **By the way, I would like to point out something. The fact that these 3 chapters are going to be posted in like 5 days is not "fast". Not really, because, essentially, it would equal to me taking** ** **over 3 weeks** to post two 6000 words chapters (which is normal chapter size for me half of the time). It's "normal" speed at best. Actually, it took too long, considering I have the time to write at the moment. In October it will become more difficult.**

 **Also, something I forgot to mention in the previous chapter. Sine the story is T-rated I don't think it's much of an issue, but I hope no-one is offended with Chihiro's and Mio's language. I think it fits them. As a minor note: since Ayumi in MioNomi has no knowledge of AyumiNomi, then that means she's yet to taste Keima's coffee. Just sayin' if someone was surprised by her reaction.**

 **Anyway, replies time!**

 **Sasori69:** Well, I suppose they do remember purpose of the orb (since it's "external" memory), although I never said it outright. And Vulcan is going to ignore the "life" Keima had, because: 1) it has never happened from her point of view and 2) that was the purpose of the device she created. Why would she ignore the purpose of her own creation? At the very least Tsukiyo has less rivals now (if Vulcan ever wanted to try pairing her with Keima for real) and the girls can have peace of heart. Oh... and I'm glad you liked the magic trick. :)

 **NotAnAuthor504:** Hello, glad you liked the chapter. I hope you'll like this one as well. As for the name calling, I explained most of it in the author's notes below this chapter. In context of your particular question: part of you is right, but Keima is currently confused and hesitant, so his reaction was reduced... and since it's not really that much offensive and was coming from Mio (and we all know her personality) he let it slide. Let us also remember what Diana called Keima even when he outright told her _he_ and _Elsie_ would _die_ if he didn't conquer Nanaka (and dead Keima doesn't bode well for Diana's "get him and Tenri together" plan). And maybe he's just cautious... he's been kicked, punched and insulted even when innocent and not wanting to interfere... so interfering could be inherently dangerous. :P And as for the "whole chapter by Sunday" thing... look above.

 **Shawn Raven:** thank you for your explanation :). Well... it does scream "maid", but maid cafes have several things like "kneeling next to the customer and stirring their drinks for them" and I felt Mio wouldn't be fine with that (even though it would be hilarious) so... yeah. And Keima's is of course a mystery... As for 'my lady' he might just be trying to be nice... playing with fire-I mean playing with Mio could be dangerous, so he's just trying to placate her. Let the sleeping dogs lie, you know? And Mio is running out of time and fast. Hopefully she can figure it out. Oh... and I'm not saying anything about pencil being... where it is.

 **DarkBladerZX:** So a separate story without the orb? Well, the first thing is whether the girls are competitive or supporting each other. You suggested the first option, while my initial plans were for the latter (at least mostly). That's not important however, as harem setting has a lot of problems that I need to solve. In short: there won't be of course an orb there working like the one here, but magic and whatnot would be useful or even necessary to make things possible and believable... because, frankly, one guy marrying more than a dozen of girls (and, let's be honest, they'd all want to marry him) could be a problem and there are even more troublesome issues. Anyway, the first issue is "why would girls without memories go after Keima" or even more basic "how are they going to know he even exists without memories". The competitive part can come after that. Fortunately, I have a promising outline that covers how the girls know and why Keima's going to agree to this. It's still just a concept though...

 **DPSS:** Hello. It was my mistake then... I was just under the impression that you were posting reviews quite frequently before. And believe me, I was this "rarely reviews" guy myself. Now I try to make it more often, especially here, but it's taxing. You know it's bad when you have to plan so much on how you're going to review a single chapter of someone's work... As for you ending idea. Well, the only troublesome things here are: 1) that's not what I had in mind (not for this story anyway) and 2) we kinda know what happens after death in KamiNomi, so it would require some meddling. However, 1) can be solved by alternative endings and 2) just requires enough meddling. And Keima's is kinda celebrity in New Hell so maybe this could fly... I just hope Keima won't become an actual god...

 **As always, thank you for all your reviews, especially since there's only been two days since last chapter. Much appreciated!**

 **Okay, let's get to the actual chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

Mio could practically feel her eyebrow twitch while she let out a quiet hiss – all telltale signs of her increasing irritation.

She was currently in a train and very much regretted choosing this mode of transportation. Why, oh why didn't she ask Morita to just drive her? Then again, her destination was a fair distance away from her home and her agenda could take a while and she would rather not have Morita (or her mother) know too much about it.

Besides, Morita probably wouldn't have the time to drive her anyway...

Still, how those commoners do it? Mio thought as she fidgeted, sitting on no-so-comfortable seat and trying to ignore the people – old, fat, sweaty, _common_ people – sitting on both her sides. However, such seating arrangements weren't the major cause of her discomfort.

Her internal rant was stopped when she heard it again and couldn't stop herself from glancing at the source of the discomforting sound.

There they were, sitting across from Mio. The boy was a teenager not older than Mio. He wasn't anything special. Keima would probably call him the middling real guy among real guys. However, the boy wasn't alone. He was with a girl. She wasn't even that pretty, but she was obviously his girlfriend, the way she was clinging to him proved that. Not sitting on his lap in public yet, but not far off the mark either. And the girl was the actual source of the sound... no, the noise... This high-pitched, obnoxious, girly and _happy_ giggle.

The boy leaned in to whisper something to the girl's ear.

The girl giggled in response.

And Mio stifled a groan.

She didn't really know why a regular couple annoyed her like this. She was always good at ignoring the commoners around her, so why was this any different? Was she simply angered by their shamelessness and indecency? Was she offended by having to share the space with people like them?

Or maybe there was a simpler explanation, she thought as she grit her teeth. Maybe she just couldn't admit that the reason she was angry was plain old jealousy... Jealousy of the fact that those commoners had the happiness she wanted.

She wanted her and Keima to be like the two of them.

Of course, Mio wouldn't do it in public and brazenly like that... but maybe she wouldn't mind getting lovey-dovey like that a bit...

The next sound saved her from having to answer that question.

"*ding* *dong* Narusawa City" the announcement sounded, informing Mio that it was her stop.

(* * *)

After she got off the train, Mio spend some time navigating the streets of Narusawa City, especially since it was a February afternoon, meaning it was already dark, save for the street lights. Finally, Mio reached her destination as she stood and read the sloppily painted characters on the signboard of the building.

"Sumire-ya."

The rāmen store Sumire owned.

Mio bit her lip. Both her reason and her heart told her one thing – she was slowly losing control of her emotions as she was getting more and more strained by the random changes in her interactions with Keima. It won't be long before the boy figures out her intentions. She could just feel it. She needed to do something, somehow move forward, as much as she could before the game was up. And her only idea was to have a hone-any talk with Sumire. This could her help to understand the situation more and also figure out her rival's weakness.

Because Sumire being her rival was pretty obvious right now.

Fortunately, the rāmen store had barely any customers at this hour, so Mio walked inside and, sure enough, Sumire was cleaning up the place, while her father was in the kitchen.

Sumire immediately heard the entrance of who she thought was another customer and she turned around. "Good evening, welcome to Sumir-" she stopped when she saw Mio.

"Good evening" Mio responded and then added quietly. "Are you still working?"

"Why do you ask?" Sumire asked back.

"I'd like to talk with you" Mio requested before shooting a glance at Sumire's father. "In private if possible."

Sumire scrutinized her for a moment before turning to the kitchen. "Dad, I'll be out for a while, is that okay?"

"What? Are you saying I can't man the shop for five minutes?" Mr. Uemoto yelled back. "I'm not that old!"

"Yeah, yeah" Sumire said, before turning back to Mio. "Follow me."

(* * *)

"I take it you want to talk about Keima" Sumire stated, not asked.

"Not exactly" Mio replied. "Right now I wanted to talk about you."

The two of them were now in Sumire's apartment above the store.

"What do you mean?" Sumire asked as she placed two cups of tea on the table.

Mio sighed. "It's about the thing that happened at Katsuragi's house the other day."

"What about it?" Sumire sat down.

"Look, I understand the point you made" Mio started. "It's obvious Katsuragi was too lenient and he was going about this 'get along with everyone' thing the wrong way" Mio paused, but the other girl said nothing, so she continued. "However, what I'm interested in are the interactions between you and Katsuragi."

"Interactions?" Sumire asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes... while your point was valid, the way you delivered it was... unusual" Mio said. "Moreover, from Katsuragi's reaction I gather you've talked with him about the issue before or something like that."

"Yes, I've talked with him. What of it?" Sumire asked. "It's nothing strange... or did you think you were the only Keima talked with?"

"No, I didn't" Mio countered, but she tightened her hold on her cup. "And I could say the same to you – I know Katsuragi is pretty dumb when it comes to the real life and I know he needs help" she paused for a moment before looking up at Sumire. "However, your actions back there were causing nothing but confusion and unnecessary damage, so I need to know what were you talking about with Katsuragi and what are your real intentions."

Sumire looked at her blankly. "Real intentions?" she repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

"You act strangely around him, you're fussing over him" Mio noticed. "What gives?"

"Concern?"

Sumire huffed and looked around for a moment. Then she crossed her hands over her (sizeable, as Mio noticed) chest.

"Do you ever think about... the past?" Sumire asked.

"Don't change the topic!"

"I don't... do you think about what was before? About your past time... with Keima?" Sumire inquired and continued without waiting for answer. "Because I do. Back then, Keima had played the nice listening employer and food sampler I needed. And I feel in love with him fast... even faster than he anticipated, I think. Of course he was lying all this time" she paused for a moment. "But Keima did it for me. He helped me and I used him. The fact that he was forced and I didn't know doesn't matter... because now he accepts me as his comrade and I... know what exactly happened."

"So in short: you're guilty over overstuffing him with sweet rāmen" Mio summed up.

"Don't make it sound so shallow!" Sumire shot her a glare. "It's not just that. And it's not just me. You can't just charge full-power into Keima's life like that without any considerations! Even if he doesn't resist!"

"You're partially right" Mio said, noticing with delight that she was more level-headed one in this conversation. "True, what happened back then was wrong, however it wasn't just the girls' fault. It was Keima's for not being firm enough. He was trying to be someone he was not, even though no-one expected him to be" she looked Sumire's in the eyes. "And I believe it was you who made him so... lenient. You made him soft."

"Yeah? Because being cold shut-in is what he needs" Sumire shot back, but she wasn't looking as collected as her words dictated. "I should've expected you to try being all firm and rough instead of going for gentle and understanding."

"He was too gentle and in the wrong places. And it was hurting him" Mio argued.

"Why am I even talking to you?" Sumire said, seemingly to no-one in particular. "Why would you know what is good for him?"

"Because he's my friend too!" Mio leaned forward, making Sumire blink in surprise. "He talks with me and accepted me into his world. He has a lot of faults, but don't you dare think I don't care about him or try to hurt him! I... I even try to get along with all his other... friends... you included."

"You're trying to be friendly with me? I wouldn't want to see you being hostile" Sumire mocked.

"It's your fault, I'm just trying to bring you back to order" Mio explained.

Sumire send her a glare, but Mio paid it no mind. She could tell from the other girl's body language – the biting of lip, the breathing, nervous movements of hands – that she knew she have won the argument. Maybe Sumire needed time to think this through, but she have won.

"A-anyway, I have answered your questions" Sumire said finally. "Satisfied?"

Mio shook her head. "One more thing... You call Katsuragi by his first name" she stated, not asked. "Why?"

"So what?" Sumire fumed. "Friends are close enough to call each other by first names."

Mio was tired of beating around the bush, so she decided on a direct approach "Do you like Katsuragi or not?" she asked.

Sumire stayed silent for a moment before laughing.

"What so funny?" Mio asked, her eyebrow twitching.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just I never expected it from you... and after all of that talk" Sumire chuckled one last time before coughing. "Yes, I like Keima" she was blushing a little, but she didn't look away.

It was expected, but Mio still bit her lip, before coughing a little. "Have you... talked with him about this?"

Sumire nodded.

"And?" Mio prodded on after a moment. "What did he say?"

"Tha-that's between Keima and me..." Sumire looked away for a moment, before eyeing Mio. "So you like him too?"

An obvious and dangerous question, but Mio was prepared as she laughed loudly. "Are you serious?" she asked. "Me? With a commoner like him? Don't make me laugh!"

"So why ask?" Sumire challenged.

"I'm merely checking whether you're a good match for Katsuragi... and I'm not really sure about that."

"Really? Then I can say the same about you" Sumire smiled and it was not a happy smile. "Such a short-tempered brat is not a good match for Keima."

Mio didn't know whether Sumire was consciously provoking her or not, but that comment hit home. Before she could stop herself, Mio opened her mouth to counter and who knows what would happen if the door didn't open.

"Sumire?" the previous owner of Uemoto-ya entered the room with an unreadable look on his face. "Are you planning to go down and help me anytime soon?" the man stopped when he saw the two girls at the table looking at him. "Who's that?" he asked looking from Mio to Sumire. "Is this kid your friend?"

"Hey!" Mio stood up and approached the man "I'm not a kid! I'm seventeen, you know!" she yelled in anger.

"No way" Sumire's father responded. "You look like an elementary school kid."

Mio was about to retort with verbal or even whip abuse when she heard Sumire burst out laughing behind her back.

"Elementary school kid!" she said, practically rolling on the floor.

Mio felt her face turn red in embarrassment. She shoved the man, not caring that he was the owner of the house and walked outside without even saying goodbye, intent to get back to her house as soon as possible, while gritting her teeth.

That rāmen freak...

(* * *)

Mio didn't sleep well that night and it wasn't because of the exams being close. So Sumire liked Keima as well. Could this get any worse? Of course it could... Yui could return with all her might any moment now. Moreover, both girls probably knew about Mio's feelings for Keima...

This was bad... What was she supposed to do now?

She spent a few hours trying to figure out her problem, but when she woke up she knew what to do. She didn't want to do that as she knew what were the chances of pulling it off, but she had no other choice.

She had to confess to Keima.

At least that way, she Sumire and Yui would be on equal grounds and she will buy herself some time.

However, she soon realized confessing was easier said than done, as it took her half the next day to gather the courage to do it. Actually, the only reason she got of the house, was her mother, who somehow sensed something was wrong and started an interrogation, prompting the blond girl to grab her clothes and leave.

And here she was, standing in front of the Katsuragi residence in her winter boots which, judging from her inability to move, could very well be made of iron, preventing her from moving forward. Apparently, she would need some kind of impetus to do it.

The thought barely registered in her mind when she looked at one of the windows and saw someone, immediately making her eyes widen, legs move and her anger flare, demanding answers.

What was _Yui_ doing here now of all times?

She walked up to the regular entrance and tried to open the door, not bothering to ring the doorbell.

It was open.

Mio entered the house, removed her shoes in record time and headed for the living room, opening the door only for her eyes to widen at what she was seeing.

Keima Katsuragi was lying on one of the sofas. On top of him was Yui Goidō. Both of them looked at Mio in surprise. Mio herself was in shock. Yui was back? Could be that she seduced Keima and he actually returned her feelings? However, what surprised her even more was Yui's appearance.

Yui had her hair tied using a yellow bow. She was wearing a blouse that was highlighting her curves. She seemed to be using make-up.

And she was wearing a _skirt_.

What. The. Hell.

"What is going on here!?" Mio shouted in anger. And jealousy.

"Ahaha... this is embarrassing" Yui said, putting her hand behind her head and Keima exploited it to back away a little.

"What's the meaning of this!?" Mio rephrased her question, not one bit amused by Yui's antics.

"Don't look at me. It's one of her schemes" Keima said pointing to Yui. "Apparently, she thought that her dressing as a man was the reason I wasn't falling for her."

"Well, it's more or less like that" Yui admitted. "I thought over what Eri said and I realized that I was too selfish, so I decided to sacrifice some of my habits for the sake of Keima-kun's love!"

Mio was speechless. More girly, slightly less aggressive Yui on the offensive?

Not good.

"You have to be kidding me" Mio mumbled out.

"Keima-kun's family went shopping a short while ago, so it's fine!" Yui said.

"That's not the issue here! Hey!" Mio yelled and when Yui ignored her, she walked to the sofa, grabbed the drummer and lifted her off Keima.

"Hey, not fair!" Yui objected. "I was here first."

"First my ass" Mio countered. "How dare you do that?"

"Do what?" Yui asked innocently. "I was just helping Keima see how much I love him."

"That's sexual harassment and nothing more!"

"Um, guys..." Keima interrupted.

"What?" they both asked, but before Keima could answer there was the sound of the doorbell.

"Great, now what?" Keima said, before walking out of the room. "I hope it's just Tenri..."

"What's with all this?" Mio asked, exploiting the fact that Keima was momentarily out of hearing and gesturing in the general direction of Yui.

"What? This?" Yui turned in place as if she was a model. "I just wanted to dress up specially for Keima. Are you jealous, Mio-chan?"

"You wish" Mio said, but she wasn't so calm inside. What if it actually worked?

Just then the door to the corridor opened again and Keima entered the room. The expression on his face was saying 'how troublesome', but, strangely, Mio also saw a glint in his eyes that said 'this is gonna be interesting'.

If Mio was surprised by this then her surprise was gone when she saw the person that followed after Keima.

"Once again, I'm really sorry for barging in on you, but I-" the person said, but then stopped when she noticed Mio. "Shrimp?" she said.

"Rāmen freak" Mio replied in greeting.

Sumire opened her mouth, but was beat to it by Yui.

"Shrimp?" she repeated. "Rāmen freak?" she then glanced at Keima in question. "Okay... what did I miss?"

"Never mind that. What are you doing here?" Sumire asked Yui, before Keima could react.

"Isn't it obvious?" Yui asked back, as she got closer to Keima and put her hands around his arms. "I visited darling to give him some of my love!"

This image made something inside of Mio snap.

"Darling?" she mocked. "And I thought Katsuragi was the one with trouble separating imagination from reality."

"Or perhaps it's you who can't see the truth, Mio-chan" Yui spoke in a singsong voice.

Sumire growled in irritation. "And you think you're a good girl for Keima?"

"Of course" Yui responded without a hint of doubt. "I'm the best wife there is!"

"I'm not your boyfriend, yet alone husband!" Keima said, but was promptly ignored.

Mio bit her lip, but realized a possible counter-strategy. Right now Yui was a common enemy to her and Sumire, so maybe they could form an alliance. It was a sound plan, but when Mio looked at the rāmen girl, she saw her glare in turns at both remaining girls. Suddenly, Mio felt a sense of familiarity. Three people, standing in three parts of the scene, eyeing each other, ready to strike.

What was it called again?

Oh, right... a three-way Mexican stand-off.

Neither of them had any guns, but neither of them could back away without problem – whoever stepped down now would be giving up Keima to the other parties. On the other hand, making a harsh move would mean exposing yourself.

The best strategy was to wait for the two other girls to make a mistake and start arguing and then exploit it.

Fortunately, Sumire was first to lose her cool.

"Husband?" the girl repeated, before turning to Yui in irritation. "What the hell? It's up to Keima to decide who he wants to be with! Don't throw your desires onto him on a whim like that!"

"I don't understand your problem" Yui replied. "I'm just courting Keima-kun, it's not illegal, you know?"

"Maybe not, but I won't allow it!" Sumire countered.

This was going favorably, Mio thought. She was just looking for a good opportunity to interrupt the conversation when...

"Sumire, that's enough!" Keima suddenly said, his voice firm and loud, making Sumire stop and look at him in surprise. Then he got free out of Yui's embrace. Finally he walked up to Mio and smacked her lightly over her head.

"Ow!" Mio whined. "What was that for?!"

"For losing your cool" Keima said. "And trusted you, so you should trust me a bit more too!"

"Trusted?" Sumire repeated. "With what?"

"Nevermind that" Keima said, before addressing all three girls. "You're all went too far!"

"But darling..." Yui started, but Keima cut her off.

"I'm not your darling!" Keima told her, before sighing. "Look, I know you like me and all. And I appreciate you trying to change like that for me" he said gently, before looking up with the determination more befitting his 'I'll stick to my game tenets' moments. "But this is not you!"

"But you were always rejecting me after I started dressing as a man!" Yui said back, doubt showing in her eyes.

"Because my reaction to you hindered my conquests!" Keima told her. "Now I don't view as less than others just because you dress like that! You... you're my friend" he said, voice barely above a whisper, proving that admitting such a thing was still difficult for him. "But that's all."

"But I love you!" Yui said. "And I can make you happy!"

"But would I be able to make you happy? Or would you just have to sacrifice yourself and your family relations for me?" Keima asked, before he put his hands on her shoulders. "Listen, there's whole world out there for you. You're a strong girl. I know you'll be fine" he smiled at her assuredly.

"Keima's right" Sumire interrupted them.

"You too, Sumire" Keima turned to the rāmen lover. "You don't have to worry about me or my love life. I don't need a chaperone or a match-maker."

"B-but-"

"No buts" Keima told her firmly. "I admit. I didn't know how to interact will all of my... friends and I was too passive. But I'm the God of Conquest, a genius, a former biker for a mother and a walking disaster for a sister. I think I can manage a dozen of girls just fine."

"I-I just wanted to help" Sumire said softly, seeds of tears in her eyes, as she rubbed her arm with her hand.

"I know" Keima said. "And I'm thankful for that. You didn't do anything wrong. I just don't need that kind of help any more. Rest assured, you're still my friend and we can ask for each other's help when we need it."

Sumire was looking at him for a moment, obviously conflicted, before she lowered her gaze with a soft "All right."

"It's not all right" it was back to Yui, who pointed her finger at Sumire. "She's just trying to buy your favors to get closer to you! She's obviously in love with you!"

"Yes, I like him" Sumire admitted. "But unlike you, I want Keima to be happy and I don't want to impose myself on him, when he clearly doesn't like me back."

"Hold on!" Mio shouted, making all three of them turn to her. "You-you mean you're not after Katsuragi?"

"That's what I said" Sumire retorted.

Mio blinked, then looked from Sumire to Yui. Keima didn't yield to Yui, she thought. And Sumire apparently went passive. Does that mean... that all of her love rivals were out of the picture? The shock on her face must've showed, because Keima.

"What's so surprising about it?" he asked.

"Well, it has to be surprising for her. She's in love with you after all" Yui said, before she clamped her hand over her mouth. Apparently she didn't mean to say it, but she did and Mio felt the time stop.

Yui spilled the beans.

Keima learned she was in love before Mio could confess properly.

Keima turned to look at Yui. "I know" he said.

"Yui, you idiot!" Mio shouted at her friend in fury, before doing a double take. "Wait, what?" she looked at Keima. "You-you know?"

Keima sighed. "Pleaaaase" he said dramatically, before turning to face all three girls. "Anyway, this is my house and you're all my friends and I _won't_ allow that kind of childish behavior any more! It's good that you're all here right now, 'cause we can get this over with" he paused for a moment. "Now, I want all of you to shake your hands, apologize to each other and don't bring it up again."

Mio, Yui and Sumire hesitated, looking at each other, no-one wanting to make the first move.

"I'm waiting" Keima said, crossing his hands over his chest.

"All right, all right" Mio said as she walked to Sumire and offered her hand while looking away. "I'm sorry for being harsh, calling you a rāmen freak and all that."

Sumire looked away too, but with a completely different look on her face, but shook her hand. "Y-yeah... sorry for the shrimp... and this entire thing. I started it... I guess" she then turned to Yui, eager to change the topic. "I'm sorry for shouting at you."

"It's fine, I don't mind" Yui said, shaking Sumire's entire arm energetically. "Truth be told, I don't understand all of it, but that's okay" it was Yui's turn to face Mio. "So, Mio-chan... no hard feelings? Still best friends forever?"

Mio huffed. "Yeah, I guess"

"Good" Keima said as soon as the classmates shook their hands. "This event took us long enough. Now, I would rather not risk my mother finding us in the living room like that, so I suggest we leave it at that."

Sumire was the first to react. She walked up to Keima, before giving him a short goodbye peck on his cheek and practically running out of the house.

Next was Yui. She put her hand on Keima's shoulder and said "I shouldn't expect any less from the Keima-kun I know! I may have lost the battle several times for now, but there's still war to win! I'll be back after I become even better woman!"

Keima sighed and took her hand off his shoulder. "Do as you like, just leave before my mother comes back."

Yui nodded, kissed Keima on his cheek as well, before waving Keima goodbye and leaving in a surprisingly good mood for someone who was just rejected.

Mio on the other hand was pissed. She just got rid of two rivals, so how come they got to kiss him? Should she just do the same and leave?

"Mio" Keima's voice brought her back to reality.

"Y-yes?" she asked, turning around and saw him at the door leading back to the corridor. She barely registered he had used her first name casually without any honorific.

"If you want to talk then we should do so in my room, before my family really returns" he told her, before heading for the stairs.

 **(* * *)**

 **Ta-dah!**

 **So, yup... Keima seems aware of Mio's feelings for him... at least to some degree... which means her brilliant plan is foiled, just when she was in the middle of her "it's high time to confess" plan. In short: her happy ending seems to drift further and further away. Good news? Keima just invited her to his room, so she can still try "direct pounce" tactic. Maybe. We'll see.  
**

 **Concerning other matters... here we have (ir)regular Yui and Sumire revealing that yes, she likes Keima, but no, she's not going to act on unless he wants her too... and Keima mans up and he orders the trio of girls around before they can pull out their guns and make even more of a mess. I just hope this gives enough closure as for Sumire, at least for now. We also have Yui's new approach here, which may seem OOC, but Yui's aware of it. She's just being more flexible and amicable in her relations with Keima... though she failed. At least for now.**

 **And as for who's the Good, who's the Bad and who's the Ugly... I leave this up to you to decide. For me... we have three girls here who are both Good and Bad, while Keima is the Creepy xD.**

 **Also, if you're worried about names like "shrimp" and "rāmen freak", then know that while certainly not affectionate, they're not that offensive... or untrue... as Sumire eating** **rāmen in class seems even more creep than Keima playing games.**

 **Fun fact: in one of the manga omakes depicting Café Grandpa, there is a mention of (if I deciphered the text correctly) "El-chan's Country Style Pizza", costing 700 (y)en. One has to wonder what kinda (alive) creatures are in that pizza and has anyone ever ordered it.**

 **Okay, that's pretty much it. As always, I'd be very happy to read your reviews.**

 **See you next time!**


	10. Flag 50: Commoner

**Hello, everyone, I'm back! A little later than I anticipated, but still.**

 **So here's the latest chapter of MioNomi, the third part of what was originally supposed to be a single chapter, but I'm kinda glad I divided it into three smaller ones. This one is perhaps less action and more talking and... you know what? I think it's best to talk about it after you've read it so let's get to it...! After I'm done with replies to reviews of course :).  
**

 **ZelgadisGW:** Well, at the end of her original conquest in the manga Sumire was sad to see Keima leave, but she let him go fairly easily. Granted, she didn't reveal her romantic intention until the end, so it's a little different. Still, don't worry about her. She'll be fine. And yeah, Keima finally had the cup of man the hell up. And he has revealed what he knew. Or has he?

 **DarkBladerZX:** Well, I had some doubts about that chapter, so I'm glad you liked it. And I hope you'll like this one as well.

 **NotAnAuthor504:** Hi, recently all or almost as of your corrections are right, so thank you for that. However, it's either "simpler" or "more simple". There's no such thing as "more simpler" ;). And I'm glad to hear that you consider this chapter that good. It's something I didn't predict. And as for your question, I'm not sure if I understood you correctly, but I look at reviews as they appear and this usually happens at various stages of writing the new chapter. And then when the chapter is about to be posted, I look up the reviews again and add the replies. Otherwise there wouldn't be replies to the newest reviews. Well, I kinda do and don't have a lot of free time right now. It's not really "3 chapters in 5 days", it's more like "an equivalent of 2 good-size chapters in over 3 weeks". Nothing spectacular.

 **Shawn Raven:** Hello :). Yes, the cat's outta the bag. Maybe he saw it from a mile away. And no, there were times when he didn't see it coming. And shit happened. Anyway... Yui and Sumire are much less dangerous rivals now, if at all. Glad the three-way stand-off had the intended effect. And as for Yui... girl's gotta do what she's gotta do, so she would get out of her (clothing) comfort zone if it got her better results... which it didn't (or did it?). As for Keima's room... well... let's find out, shall we? I'm kinda interested myself. :P

 **As always, I want to thank you for all your reader activity, including (re)views.**

 **Oh... and today we have a jubilee of sorts... since it's the posting of Flag 50 (well there's also Flag 0, but let's ignore it, shall we?). We've covered over fifty chapters so far! Furthermore... The World Not Only God Knows was first posted on August 2nd 2015... which means it's almost exactly a year since this series have been first posted. Thus, this time I would like to thank all of my readers who supported me so far on ALL my KamiNomi stories.**

 **You're all great guys and gals!**

 **I wish you and myself more great chapters in the future and I hope you'll stick with me and this fandom from this point onward!**

 **Anyway... like I said before... let's get to it!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

"How long?" Mio asked softly as soon as they were in his room.

Keima didn't need to ask what she meant.

"Since that day at the railway station" he said. " Although it was just a suspicion back then."

"A-a suspicion?" Mio repeated.

"Of course!" Keima said while making a pose. "That event was full of flags after all! Such events are not so uncommon! In games" he added after a moment.

Mio stared at him blankly for a moment.

"What the hell?!" she shouted. "Don't act all high and mighty when you have nothing but a hunch and a lucky guess!"

"Lucky guess, huh?" he repositioned his glasses. "Perhaps, at first it was like that, but God of Conquest doesn't rely on luck."

"God of-wait, you mean you've been _conquering_ me?" she asked, not sure whether she should feel appalled, offended, flattered or honored. Or happy.

"No" Keima told her, instantly bursting her bubble. "And I admit, you're might be a talented actress, but you've made several mistakes" Mio stood dumbfounded, not saying anything, so Keima continued. "First, I'm now more acquainted with the real and I'm not ignoring... things as I did before, so I notice them better. Second, you could be pretty sneaky by yourself, but our mothers certainly weren't. And third, with so much noise around, you started to slip more and more, dropping hints thanks to your tsundere nature and soon it was pretty obvious" he paused, as if considering whether to continue or not. "Even Tenri figured it out."

"Wh-what?!" Mio shouted. And then she remembered that one time she met Tenri on the doorstep of Keima's house. And she was under impression that she saw Tenri's eyes glow red. "You mean you talked with her and her goddess about me?"

"Me, Tenri and Diana had a discussion of sorts" Keima admitted. "And I can't be sure when, but I'm certain you made contact with my sister somewhere along the way."

"It's not like she's been helping me or anything" Mio defended herself.

"But you're not denying it" Keima noticed. "Furthermore, while it's only a wild guess, I think the list includes Yui, Urara. Maybe Tsukiyo and Sumire. And, of course, my mother."

An 'ugh' was all Mio could say without losing face any further. The shock and her (at times) ferocious nature were numbing the experience somewhat, making it occur slowly and gradually, but the truth was slowly sipping through her subconsciousness and invading her mind.

He knew.

Mio was in love with Keima and he pretty much knew it all along.

And he didn't react. Didn't use this opportunity.

He obviously didn't like her back.

Something else then occurred to her. Keima knew she liked him and was after him, while he didn't like her back. So why...

"Why?" she asked "Why did you agree to tutor me?" she fought the tears that threatened to spill. "Our alliance. The Christmas Eve. Why did you do all that?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Keima asked back as if Mio asked a really stupid question. "You needed help studying. And we both wanted and needed to get more in touch we the world we shunned so far. Isn't it normal for friends to help each other?"

Mio heard it, but she couldn't believe it. "So you really meant it? The studying? The sleds? The ice rink? All of it?"

"Yes" Keima said. "The mistletoe and the waitress thing were a little over the top though. But it was my mother's schemes, so it couldn't be helped."

"You knew it was your mother who suggested me becoming a waitress?" there was no end to the shocking news today it seemed.

"I suspected it" Keima shrugged.

"But it still doesn't make sense" Mio refused to just accept his explanation like that. "You knew I... you knew I-I liked you" she stuttered out, before shaking her head. She was small, but not shy, damn it! As late as it was, she needed to say it properly. "You know I like you!" she confessed.

"I think we established that already" Keima replied, his gaze fixed on her.

"So why didn't you do anything? You could've said something! I don't know, try to discourage me or something. Anything" she looked at him, gritting her teeth in a mix of anger and powerlessness. "Why didn't you?"

"I thought you would figure that one out" Keima told her, before sitting down on his bed and indicating for her to do the same. She obeyed and sat down on the other end of the bed, the closeness made her nervous adding it to her turmoil of emotions.

"During your conquest" he started, snapping her attention back to him. "Do you remember what was your problem?

"Yes" she replied. "What my father has to do with any of this?"

"It wasn't just your father" he told her. "Or rather your father was a cause and I mean the effect."

"Weren't you the one who said the real has too much beating around the bush?" she asked. "Get to the damn point!"

"The point is, you clung to your previous life and refused to leave it. All I did was give you back your freedom" Keima explained patiently. "Before that you tried to be a wealthy celebrity because you _forcefully followed your father's wishes_. Now you can still try to be a wealthy celebrity, but now you'll do that because you _want to_."

"I still don't see-"

"You can now shape your life as you see fit" he interrupted her. "You want to pretend you're better than all of us? I would tell you it's wrong, but I wouldn't try to stop you, because it's your life and you're free to choose what you want to do with it. So... if you want to be in love with me then I won't try to stop you either... even if I don't really like you... I won't stop you from trying even if it's painful for you."

"B-but you stopped Yui" Mio noticed.

"Ah... that" Keima shook her head. "She's much too... aggressive... I needed to be more strict with her to have her step down a bit... she still has her mother to worry about."

Mio stayed still for a moment, before she hung her head low and chuckled.

"So you made a complete fool out of me" she said. "You figured everything out and let me do what I wanted, even if I continued to wander and stumble in the darkness."

"I would stop you from falling though" Keima said. "However, it's not like I figured everything."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm the God of Conquest, so you could do nothing to prevent falling in love with me. I conquered you."

"Gee thanks. You're a heartless jerk, you know?" she replied angrily. But she was rejected by the person she liked, so who could blame her? And Keima probably won't get offended by it anyway.

"However" he continued as if she didn't say anything. "That was back when you didn't know the truth. You accepted my as your chauffeur and thought of me as your, as you put it, unbelievable person..." he paused. "But I'm not. I'm not a special person like that."

"I don't understand" Mio uttered. He... he didn't mean what she thought he meant... or did he?

"I'm just a commoner" Keima told her. "In the real I'm not god. I'm just an average guy. No! I'm pretty cold and obnoxious person. And scrawny too. I don't really have much going for me. Nothing I could offer a real girl. Let alone someone like you" he paused in frustration. "So I can't understand why... Why? Now that you know everything, why would someone like you want to be with someone like me?" he asked. "Didn't you say it yourself back then? That you wold never accept a commoner like me?"

Mio looked at him for a moment and then her expression changed from that of a surprise and morphed into that of wrath. She then lunged at him almost on instinct. He heard some kind of swish through air and then he felt a stinging pain in his arm. Before he could even exclaim "ouch!" or anything like that he heard another distinct *swish* and felt another hit. And then he realized.

Whip.

Mio was whipping him.

"What the hell?!" he asked.

"Shut up!" she roared in response, hitting him again.

Keima tried to move back or at least cover himself with his arms, his eyes closed, but achieved very little, as the stinging pain followed no matter which part of his body was hit.

"Stop it!" he commanded as he tried to fight back, but the blows kept coming.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" she hollered as she continued her assault.

What's gotten into her? Keima thought. She never hit him so much with her horsewhip! Like back when he refused to pull the train-shaped carriage – she was angry, but she didn't hit him that much! Actually, she didn't whip him back then at all...

Wait...

The one time when he bumped into her and Kusunoki... right after the girls gained their memories. She had her whip with her back then. But she didn't use it.

She didn't whip him back at the railway station either...

Even that one time before using the orb (even though Keima couldn't really know that one) Mio had raised her whip, but hadn't decided to hit him with it.

In the entire time Keima had known Mio she hasn't whipped him once. Yes, she thought about whipping him, she threatened him with it, and she chased him with it (laughing, he might add), but she hadn't whipped him.

Not once.

Ever.

Until now.

That realization came as a shock strong enough that numbed his pain a little, but most importantly, made his determination to fight back fade away, making him accept the blows as they were coming.

Come to think of it... not only has she never whipped him before, but he had almost never seen her so... angry. It wasn't her usual irritation like the one when he had failed to pull her carriage. It wasn't the offended anger she had showed when she had figured he had deceived her and lied to her. It wasn't the wrath she had felt when he had tried to make her forget about her father.

It wasn't childish hot anger or vengeful cold fury.

No, it almost felt as 'I am powerless' kind of anger. As if he did something wrong and she was disappointed in him.

And if that sounded implausible then the next words that came out of her mouth confirmed it for him.

"Idiot!" he heard her speak. "You! Stupid! Moron! Stupid! Insensitive! Jerk!" each insult was accompanied by raising and lowering of the whip. "You're such a moron, Katsuragi!"

And then slowly the blows become slower, softer and less frequent. At first Keima thought Mio had simply ran out of steam, as evidenced by her quick, shallow breaths, until he heard a completely different set of sounds.

A sob.

A sniff.

A whimper.

Keima opened his eyes and saw that Mio was practically straddling him, her head lowered, so her face was hidden in shadow.

"Mio?" he asked.

She flinched and then raised her head, only to confirm what he already knew.

Mio Aoyama was crying.

Now Keima Katsuragi didn't like things. Many things. He didn't like sweets. He didn't like imperfect real girls. And he didn't like developments where people died. Any people.

But above all, he hated girls crying.

Any girls.

"What's wrong?" he asked, fully-aware that she could lash out in response, because he was apparently supposed to know what he did. "Please, don't cry. Just tell me what I did."

"You know what you did!" she tried to shout, but it came out a lot quieter, partially due to her voice hoarse from yelling, so she lashed him with her whip for emphasis. "How dare you!?"

"How dare I what?" Keima asked in fear, but he noticed that her attacks were now a lot weaker.

"How dare you think about yourself like that!" she clarified, explaining absolutely nothing.

"Like what?"

"Think that you're a commoner!"

Keima opened his mouth and it stayed that way.

"I... what?" he managed after a moment. "You said I am a commoner! Back at the railway station! Me wearing a chauffeur hat doesn't change anything! I'm still a-ouch!" she hit him once again.

"I said that only because I was embarrassed!" she confessed. "Think about it. What commoner could play six games at once and complete any freaking dating sim he wanted? What other human out there is an idealistic genius that figured out all this dangerous bullshit and saved our world, huh?" she challenged. "Finally, how many other men have managed to make _me_ , Mio Aoyama, the daughter and heir to the Aoyama Central Industries, fall in _love_ with them?!" she glared at him. "I'm waiting" she added impatiently.

But Keima didn't answer. He was, quite literally, out of words.

"That's what I thought" she said. "And for the record, scrawny is bad, but I don't think you're scrawny. I think you actually look... umm... pretty nice" her cheeks colored red. "And you're pretty smart... And don't even think about giving me 'I can't do anything in the real world' bullshit. I distinctly remember you beating a shōgi pro-level player with ease among other things. And as for the 'I don't have much to offer' thing... I'm pretty much in the same boat with you on that one... And I don't care..."

She paused for a moment, before shooting him a glare.

"So the next time you think you're a commoner or that you're not good enough for me or any similar bullshit, then I'll punish you. And I promise you'll feel that one" she slammed her whip into her palm for emphasis. "Got it?"

"Are you a sadist?" Keima asked.

"What?" Mio blinked, trying to figure out if he was changing the topic or continuing the previous one.

"Are you a sadist?" Keima repeated completely serious. "Do you get pleasure from whipping people? From whipping me?"

"No!" Mio responded, her face red. "I-I mean... it's nice knowing a person would agree to endure physical pain for you... b-but I'd never do it to you without your consent... unless you act like an insensitive jerk like you did right now!"

"So you would be fine without physically abusing your boyfriend?" Keima asked.

"W-where did _that_ come from?" she shot back. Was this his way to loosen the atmosphere? Because it wasn't working. "W-well, I wouldn't whip him or anything like that unless he asked."

"I'm not asking whether you would do it without your boyfriend's permission or not" Keima said. "I'm asking if you're fine with never doing that."

"Of course, I am!" she shouted back at him. "I want a lover, maybe also a follower and a servant. I don't want a slave!" honestly, how much more dumb and insensitive could he get?

"Good" Keima responded. "Cause I don't really like the idea of being whipped."

Mio stared at him, trying to understand what he was saying. It didn't work.

"But if it's like that then I think it's fine" Keima added as if speaking to himself.

"Fine?" she repeated, once again confused by his ability to confuse. "What's fine?"

"The two of us going out."

*crack*

That was the sound of the remnants of her armor breaking into thousands tiny pieces.

"Wh-wha-what?" she stuttered, caught completely off-guard. And she meant it almost literally – right now she was exposed and defenseless. Completely at his mercy.

"You heard me" Keima told her, tilting his head to the side. "Isn't this what you wanted? To go out with me?"

"B-but you were against it!" she offended weakly, before she felt the urge to bang her head against the wall. Repeatedly. He had just suggested they go out. Why was she sounding like _she_ was rejecting _him_? "You said you really don't like me!"

"I didn't say 'I really don't like you'. I said 'I don't really like you'. That's a difference, you know?" he corrected her. "I meant that I wasn't in love with you. And I didn't know why you liked me... and I didn't know you liked me this much."

"B-but I'm a real girl" Mio said, aware that the roles has reversed and now she was playing the 'I'm not good enough for you' part. "I'm a rude sassy girl with no money... I'm also... small and not pretty..."

Keima snorted. "Like I've ever conquered a heroine just because she's rich... And I think we just both agreed that I can be rude and sassy too" Keima said. "But I don't agree with the rest. For a real girl you're cute" he said it with a straight face. Almost. "At least when you're not whipping me. Also, I don't see a problem with you being small... I certainly prefer a heroine to be a head shorter than me than the other way around..."

Mio, from the lack of dumber things to do, immediately started to argue. "But you made fun of me when you were in Yui's body! And you said I won't grow any more 10 years ago!"

"I was just messing with you. It's called a sense of humor" he defended. "And I got hit in return, so we're even."

"Still, you don't love me!" Mio used her last argument.

To her surprise Keima laughed.

"So what? Most of the heroines in the games are not in love with the protagonist at the beginning" he noticed. "Scratch that! Some of them are even hostile. Moreover, the protagonist doesn't love the girl at first either... the route is what brings them and their feelings together" he paused for a moment to face her. "Look, this is real world and I can't see the route. So I can't guarantee any of us will get a happy end like this... but I don't mind trying..."

"You don't mind going with a real girl?" Mio couldn't stop herself from asking. She needed to be sure. "Going out with me?"

"Well... any normal real girl would be a definite 'no good'... but you girls are special to me, even if you're all real girls... besides" he looked at her. "Our agreement was to get to know the real world better, right? We covered things like friendship already, so isn't dating the next natural step in that agreement?"

That explanation was certainly helping, but not all the way.

"Do I have a loose soul inside me?" Mio asked.

Keima shook his head, not looking surprised by her question one bit.

"Is it a joke?"

"No" he told her.

"An illusion?"

"No."

"A dream?"

He pinched her arm and she attempted to sock him in retaliation, but he intercepted her motion. This made Mio lose her balance for a second, resulting in her getting closer to him... ans she finally took in their position.

They were in his room on his bed and she was pretty much in his arms. And she was straddling him. She didn't even try to fight the blush on her face. She had other things to worry about right now.

"Is this a Cinderella love story?" she asked, her voice hopeful this time.

"I'm no prince" Keima told her. "And, as I've said before, I've never been in a real relationship, so I can't make any promises... But after the things I've seen in games... and in the real... I'd say it's not out of the realm of possibility."

The way he worded it made the mood lower somewhat, but Mio didn't care. She could still fix it.

"Then prove it" she told him, her eyes glazing over as she got even closer to him. She swore, if someone were to interrupt them right now... that person better be able to get a whipping.

"Something tells me I already have" he replied and looked into her eyes. She looked back into his and she felt herself move forward. It was as if he was drawing her in or maybe there were some helpful devils giving her a push.

She didn't care.

For when her lips collided with his it was the gentlest collision in history.

Maybe it was frustration for having to keep all those emotions bottled up for so long. Maybe it was her nature, bringing the tender inside to the surface in moments like this. Maybe it was the power of the God of Conquests and his kissing skills thanks to the sheer number and variety of kisses he had. Whatever it was it unleashed a wild torrent of something inside her. It filled her with emotions. Emotions spreading in new ways. Strange ways.

Good ways.

She felt as if anything else didn't matter right now. As if the world around her ceased to exist, just like back then at the party. It was as if she was getting rid of all her longing and anxiety, as if he was taking it from her... while pouring something inside her in return. Something better. Something hot. Something light.

In fact, she felt light as a cloud. She could feel her hands on his chest, but she didn't feel as if sitting on him. It felt more like she was floating.

And she was definitely feeling light-headed.

Maybe it was really a dream?

Just when she thought that she felt his two firm, warm and very _real_ arms embracing her and bringing her even closer to him. And then she realized.

Only now she had truly fallen for him.

On Keima's part he was surprised. Mio was obviously a very petite person, but he was still shocked how easily he could wrap her arms around her. How easily she fitted on his lap. How she reacted to his touch. She continued her assault on his lips with fervor she probably wasn't even aware of herself.

Her offensive attributes were remarkable as expected – he very much remembered that despite her build this girl could pack a punch – but there was also something unusually delicate about her. He felt the urge to embrace her further, to keep her safe, to give her what she wanted... but at the same time he was afraid of hurting her.

Because right now, without her armor, she seemed as fragile as glass.

A glass cannon, huh?

He raised one of his hands, sliding it across her back until he found the nape of her neck, where her hair started and stroked the skin there. In result Mio immediately ended the kiss with a sound he couldn't quite name.

But it was definitely a good sound.

Mio glanced at him for a moment – her eyes seemed teary once again, but Keima was certain it wasn't a bad thing right now – before she immediately ducked, placing her head on his shoulder, apparently trying to hide the fact her face was the color of her school uniform.

"Mio?" he said, not really sure how to proceed from here.

"Can we just stay like that for a little bit longer?" she asked quietly, her voice distant and tired. "Please..."

He nodded and then said 'sure' once he realized Mio couldn't hear him.

No... it wasn't Mio as Keima had no idea where the girl know as Mio Aoyama was right now.

All that he knew was that there was this little lost blond girl in his arms who desperately sought comfort. So he comforted her, wrapping his arms around her small frame and letting any leftover tears dry up or soak into his clothes.

He didn't know how long they stayed like this, but he knew other things.

First, Mio Aoyama was now asleep in his arms.

Second, they were now a couple, a predicament that was sure to get troublesome.

But it didn't matter, because he made a resolution.

As long as he was her boyfriend he would not let her experience such a bad thing ever again. If Mio was to cry ever again, then it was his job to make sure she was crying tears of happiness.

 **(* * *)**

 **Ta-dah! Here's the conclusion of the entire arc, meaning we should be half-way through this story... more or less...  
**

 **However, even more important is that I finally got to post the scene that was in my head probably even before AyumiNomi was first posted. Everything else, the way Mio used the orb, Urara and Tsukiyo, Christmas Eve and Sumire thing was devised fairly recently.  
**

 **The only really significant events in this story that were truly planned from the get-go were the secret sharing...**

 **...and the whip scene...**

 **...actually I might've been planning it since the middle KamiNomiNai, as I distinctly remember making sure Mio never hit Keima with her whip at the railway station (as mentioned in this chapter) and kept at doing that ever since. I especially struggled with the "Mio uses the orb" scene, because I wanted to have her look angry and trigger-whip-happy, while not having her actually use the whip.**

 **All this for the sake of this one big four thousand word scene... which involves Keima spilling the beans, thinking he's a commoner, Mio getting royally pissed at this comment, her whipping the crap out of Keima out of sheer anger and disappointment...**

 **...and then Keima reveals he is getting to know the real anyway, so they might just start dating...**

 **...after which I showcase my frightening skill of being able to describe a single kiss in 400 words...  
**

 **...and then chapter, and the entire arc, ends with Keima and Mio starting a relationship and Keima making a resolution of sorts...**

 **Well, there's a little more to the consequences of this scene and some of them are quite easy to notice, but in case you didn't realize... I won't point them out right now (:P)... I'll just address them somewhere in further chapters...**

 **I do, however, need to address some other things, so you won't be confused. As you've probably noticed, Keima doesn't have any romantic feelings for Mio – he just agreed to try and gave her a chance. This was made possible, partially, by the fact that Keima now treats the-real-girls-who-he-once-conquered-and-now-shares-memories-with-them (I really need a short phrase for that... "girls" or "his girls" doesn't sound clear enough) a lot better than any normal real girl.  
**

 **It's also true that Mio had it rough in her life and Keima feels pity for her, in similar way he feels for his "imprisoned" game heroines...**

 **...however, that doesn't mean he agreed to date her just because he pitied her (in case you've misunderstood).**

 **And all of the above only covers things up to now. The question is: what will happen now? How are Mio and Keima going to work out things... including telling others (like their parents) about their budding relationship...**

 **Or is their relationship even budding? What will happen to their lives in general from this point onward? Will Keima ever fall in love with Mio for real? Will Mio be happy with the infamous worst otamega? Or maybe Keima was right?  
**

 **And, finally, will they dance together ever again?**

 **As for me, I do have some "plot points" planned, but they're just that – points. I have virtually no idea how long the story will take from now. I do hope for the next chapter to appear in two weeks (24th of August or so)... so, stay tuned for the future developments!**

 **Furthermore, as this was a VERY important point in the story, I would REALLY like to know what do you think about the... route I have taken here. Is it good? Is it bad? Were you surprised? Were you expecting this, especially the details? What do you think will happen now? Don't keep it to yourselves! Be sure to leave me a review for this chapter and follow/favorite the story if you haven't done it yet!**

 **Well, I think that's it for now (it was a rather short author's note, don't you think?).**

 **See you next time!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Oh... and one more thing. I had this stupid idea (again) and it expanded out of proportions (again), so... here's the omake version of this chapter in Baldur's Gate** ** **style** (with additions from ADOM and TV tropes):**

 **Enemy Keima sighted!**

 **Keima cast Reject Missile!**

 **Attack ineffective! Mio shrugs off the attack!**

 **Keima cast Breach!**

 **Mio's tsundere armor has been breached!**

 **Keima cast Reject Missile again!**

 **Mio received 20 damage (grief)!**

 **Mio equipped Whip of Rage +2... and went ballistic!**

 **Keima received 20 damage (physical)!**

 **Keima cast Dispel Magic!**

 **The 'Friend Zone' illusion spell has been dispelled!**

 **Keima turned from hostile to ally.**

 **Keima joined the party!**

 **"Get a boyfriend" quest has been completed!**

 **Mio got 10 000 experience points!**

 **Mio levelled up!**

 **Mio got Relationship Upgrade skill!**


	11. Flag 51: After-school events

**Hello, everyone!**

 **I'm back with the latest chapter of MioNomi! Even if I'm a little late... Anyway, I'll try to make it brief.**

 **I want to thank you very much for all your reviews for the last chapter. They were very important to me. Here are the replies:**

 **NotAnAuthor504:** Hm... so you thought that confession was the end of the story? Well, that's understandable, as I originally planned to make only 10 chapters or so... and you see how it worked out... I'm glad you found the route so far exciting. You posting mistakes is fine. Me not having time to correct them is what worries me now. But we'll see.

 **Sasori69** ** **[both reviews]** : **Don't worry about the talking to yourself thing. It happens :P. Anyway, I know very little about School Days... but I think I know enough to guess what you're implying here. Well... practice makes perfect, right? I don't know if Keima was that OOC in this scene (unless you meant the girls) – he brought a group of misbehaving kids (uh... teenagers?) to order.

 **ZelgadisGW:** About this BG think... I've no idea what you mean. Hold on a sec *stands up, goes to the next room and tries to peel his brother from BG and stuff*. I'm glad you like Mio's reactions. I can already see it... "No, Mio... I... am your boyfriend" :P. I guess we'll have to work on your "ship list" then, huh? Well, as for Kusunoki... we'll see. :)

 **DarkBladerZX:** Here's the chapter for you then. I can't guarantee it contains all you wanted, though. Also, I'm glad you liked the previous chapter.

 **A:** KanonNomi will certainly be a challenge and will certainly have a vastly different pacing, but we'll see when we get there.

 **DPSS:** Well, for the most part you're right. However, this "lost" development is done precisely, so the girls can let go of Keima (in romantic sense) early on and undergo "real" development on their own (we won't be seeing much of it though). And Keima is kinda "player character", who helps heroines undergo development, while not really developing himself.

 **Sir sleeps-a-lot:** Hello! Thank you very much for the review. I kinda missed you. Yes, TV tropes are golden and I have to fight the temptation to openly name my tropes. And speaking of trope names... I see what you did here in this review :). As for 'would it be the same if I read it once a week'... I'm wondering it myself. It certainly would be interesting. I guess it depends on your memory. When I have several mangas and fics and they get updated every fortnight... then it can get hard to follow. Anyway, full answer to your review would be too long, so I'll send the rest via PM. :)

 **Shawn Raven:** Hi. Thank you very much for the review. And this 10 out of 10. I was kinda happy with this chapter (after much work, mind you), but still... 10 out of 10? I'm honored... And yes, Keima can be dense when the plot demands it :P. Yes, vulnerable Mio was important point in this series. A lot of effort went into the kiss scene as well... I just planned it from a long time ago, but the details proved... difficult. This is why I'm so happy you liked it. As for Keima's reaction to Mio's state... is it love? That's a difficult one... Where love begins and what types of love are there? We can certainly see determination and self-sacrifice in Keima. And he wants to see Mio happy and help her be happy. Yet, he doesn't swoon over her or anything. Is it love? That even I don't know. Yes, now they need to tell the good (?) news to the world. Will they be able to? And as for that sound... I'll leave it up to your imagination :D. Thank you again and I hope this chapter will prove worth the wait as well.

 **All right... There's more to talk about, but I think we'll talk after you're done with the chapter. ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

The teacher started the class by delivering a speech as if she was sending her students off into a war that would decide the fate of mankind. As boring and long as it seemed, it took no more than two minutes and after that each student was introduced to his or her sworn enemy – a test sheet consisting of 30 questions. Mio eyed her own paper, sighed and then got to work.

First she scanned the questions and answered the ones she was completely sure, spending around ten seconds per question on average.

Then she re-read the questions she didn't solve the first time and decided on answers for some of them even if she was a little unsure if they were correct.

For the next ten minutes she tried to genuinely analyze the remaining questions and figure the answers based on her actual knowledge. And then she chose random answers for everything she didn't know.

And then she appeared to be busy with her question sheet for another ten minutes before she decided she had pretended enough already and put the sheet on the edge of her desk and checked her watch.

It took her half an hour to finish this stupid test and it wasn't as if biology was important or anything. And there was still a lot of time before the class was over, so she placed her elbows on the desk before resting her forehead on her forearms.

And sighed again.

It was a few days after she and Keima... had a talk. The one that involved speaking and whipping.

And kissing.

Mio felt her cheeks heat up and she sunk deeper into her arms to hide her flaming face. Then she realized her ears were probably red as well. She calmed down and raised her head, looking around her to see if anyone have noticed.

Luckily, most of the students still had their attention on their tests. Being in class A meant they received somewhat more experienced teachers and better teaching equipment, so they generally had better results. However, it also meant teachers were nagging more often and tried to teach more than required. Not that it was surprising – if her father was alive Mio would've considered that something that was needed. Annoying and difficult. But needed.

Of course, it wasn't as if class A had only children of famous people, ojōsamas and the like, although being assigned to this class required more money, even considering it was a private school. No, they were also commoners here. Quite a lot actually. And most of them still struggled with their test questions. The only ones who were finished besides Mio were the three students at the top of the class.

And Tsukiyo. The blond doll-like girl had placed her test on the edge of the desk and seemed fairly relaxed. Mio could understand. Thanks to Keima, Tsukiyo now could go through exams with easy, which helped reduce the stress the girl associated with her school life before.

Mio smiled a little at that and then turned to the other side only to see Yui still engrossed with her exam. No surprise there either – the better the drummer does on her exams, the less nagging her mother will be.

Mio turned back and wiggled a bit. Making the chairs and desks as uncomfortable as possible to prevent student sleeping in class was the top priority for their designers, Mio was sure of that. And she could use a short nap... the exams were a chore to get through. Every year. Without fail.

Then again... this year wasn't that bad, she thought, once again bringing her back to the memories of that kiss. It certainly wasn't perfect. She was confused and pretty much crying at the time... but still... she really liked that kiss. Maybe it was because deep inside she was sappy and romantic person (obviously why Keima went for the 'Cinderella scenario' during her original conquest) and maybe she was simply emotionally starved and craving attention.

Never mind the reason. It was the effect that was important and the effect was... breath-taking. All the waiting she had to endure, all the events she had to go through for that one moment... they didn't matter, she thought as she reminisced it, her fingers unconsciously touching her lips... before she plopped back on her desk...

...because it was already several days since that kiss and nothing have happened since then.

Not a single damn thing!

And it was all the fault of those stupid tests!

For once, Mari insisted that Keima take care of his sister (as if he hasn't been doing that already), who had a real chance to fail this year, so he was busy helping her with pretty much every subject. Of course, Eri promised to repay her brother someday, but for now Keima had to grit his teeth and try and improve his sister's academic performance.

As if that wasn't enough, Mio's own mother suddenly got worried over her daughter's future as well. Especially since Mio was finally over her father's death, so it was high time she gave her school duties proper focus. Mio told her mother that she had been tutored by Keima before, but the older woman thought she was just using this tutoring to flirt with the boy.

Thus, both Keima and Mio were now in the middle of considerably busy exam period, so they didn't really have time to spend time with each other. And because of their mothers no less!

Finally, the class ended and Mio didn't wait for the teacher to collect the tests, automatically standing up to head to the Demeter bread stand for some sandwich-shaped energy source, her mind back on her supposed relationship with Keima.

Well, from one point of view it was official. She confessed. Lamely, but she did. And he accepted. Obviously not because he loved her, but he did. So officially they were dating and at the moment it was enough for her – she'll have a lot of time to make him fall for her for real.

...but at the same time they kinda weren't dating as no-one else knew of their relationship. Mio haven't told anyone. Her mother. Urara. Tsukiyo. Yui. Sumire. No-one knew. And she was pretty sure Keima haven't told anyone either.

And that was the first problem. They will have to tell someone eventually... as thrilling as it was, Mio didn't want to make it another secret... she had enough of those. So how should they tell their parents? And should they do it so early? And should they tell others? Mio wasn't sure she wanted the whole school to know about them. It's not that she was embarrassed to have Keima as boyfriend... it was just she was pretty much a celebrity until some time ago and was afraid his hate for reality might return full force once people start talk about him behind his backs.

And the second problem was the fact that for the few past days nothing happened. Mio knew that the exams got in the way, but still it was frustrating. She wasn't stupid enough to think Keima would appear, sweep her off her feet (not that she particularly wanted that). But, she thought as she walked into the corridor, she really wouldn't mind getting more make-out practice...

She barely finished that thought when she felt someone grab her hand and pull.

"Wha?" she managed, almost losing her balance, her frustration flaring, her other hand, reaching her bag for her trusty whip. "Get your hands-" she stopped when she noticed who was it.

It was Keima.

"Good day, my lady" he said with a faint, but unmistakable smile on his lips.

"M-my lady?" she repeated caught completely off guard. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to know how are you doing" he replied and then showed her something. "And I bought you lunch."

Mio liked to think she was never much of a materialist. She was just rich, so she lived a different life than commoners. Actually, her wealthy position has made her pretty immune to any form of bribery. When she had become poor she would not accept charity out of her pride. Now perhaps she would, but she still wasn't going to ask for it nor she would be seduced by such petty things... but something about "Mio Aoyama", "Keima Katsuragi" and "omelet-soba bread" in his hands just screamed "dream team" in her hand.

"T-thank you" she replied meekly, face turning pink. Then she heard whispers and somehow she noticed a group of curious commoners gathered around them. And all of them were boys, which was weird. Was there even that many boys in her grade? She reached out with her hand to grab the sandwich, but Keima pulled his hand back.

"What about my reward?" he teased, getting closer.

Mio's brain short-circuited.

"W-wh-what?" she stammered.

"Well... it could be also a reward for you... if you did well on your test."

"Y-you mean here?" she asked in slight panic. "In public?"

"You don't want it?" he leaned closer. He wasn't _that_ tall and he wasn't bulky, but it still felt as if he was hovering over her. He grabbed her arm, immobilizing her. Her mind was completely blank. She wasn't even aware of the rude whistling of the boys in the background. She closed her eyes, parted her suddenly dry lips. Then she felt Keima grab her other arm and...

...shake her lightly.

"Mio!" a voice said. But it didn't sound like Keima... or any boy for that matter.

"What?" Mio replied, rubbing her eyes. Huh, why would she need to do that?

"The test is over."

Mio blinked. And then opened her eyes wide, gaping.

She was sitting on her seat. In the classroom. Her test was already gone and people were leaving the room. And the one talking to her was Tsukiyo. Mio looked at her blankly. And then groaned in sheer frustration, hiding her head in her hands.

"Are you all right?" the other blonde asked.

"Just give me a moment" Mio replied and stayed silent for a longer while. She just fell asleep in the middle of class and dreamed about Keima kissing her in public! No! It was just a dream! She wasn't that indecent! She was just a little... frustrated.

After she calmed down some, she spoke again. "I was sleeping" it wasn't a question.

"Yes" Tsukiyo said.

"I didn't sleep so well last night. Studying and stuff" Mio explained. It was a lame excuse, but it had to suffice.

"Well... look at the bright side" Tsukiyo said. "It had to be a good dream."

"Why do you think that?" Mio asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

"You were... mumbling in your sleep" the other girl said. Mio was certain it was the first time she saw Tsukiyo smirk like that. "I take it you're making some kind of progress with Keima then, huh?"

Mio felt her face heat up for real this time.

"Please tell me I wasn't whispering Katsuragi's name in my sleep" she said.

"Okay, you weren't whispering Katsuragi's name in your sleep" Tsukiyo said. And when Mio sighed in relief she added. "You were _moaning Keima_ 's name in your sleep."

"Kill me now..." Mio replied after a moment.

"Don't be silly" Tsukiyo said. "It was quiet and no-one here knows Keima's name. They just call him 'Katsuragi' or 'otamegane' or they just ignore him" Mio didn't reply, so Tsukiyo rolled her eyes and then grabbed the other girl's arm and started to drag Mio to the best place to cheer her up.

Meaning the Demeter bread stand of course.

(* * *)

"I have to admit" Tsukiyo said once they were seated in a private spot. "You dreaming about Keima like that in the middle of class isn't like you at all."

Mio just took a sandwich from a small pile lying there on the bench between them. She and Tsukiyo bought four sandwiches, but Mio was certain only one was for the moon-lover. She didn't mind it though – she was certain she would get at least 70% on this low-importance test, so she earned those.

"I could say something similar about you" Mio shot back. "You've really changed from how you were a year ago."

"What do you mean?" Tsukiyo asked, looking at her with polite curiosity.

"Well, for once, you are much more cheerful and open to others" Mio said.

"It's influence from Keima and Shiori, I guess" Tsukiyo shrugged, but her face turned a shade of pink.

"It's not just them" Mio shook her head, before smiling. "The way you teased me back then... it's certainly something you picked from a prankster like Urara or Yui."

"Or you" Tsukiyo shot back with a mysterious smile and then her expression turned more neutral and serious. "But I guess what you said is true. We've all changed in one way or another. This includes Keima."

"Yeah, no kidding" Mio agreed, thinking about all the things Keima've done lately. Snow fighting. Christmas Eve. Tutoring people. Arbitrating. Agreeing to go out with her. Kissing.

No, Mio told herself as she shook her head. Stop thinking about it! You have good thing going, so just survive through the exams and things will work out.

Probably. Possibly. Hopefully.

"So, how are things between the two of you?" Tsukiyo said, this time displaying one of her old personality traits – breaching conversation subjects delicately, but firmly.

"Well, I haven't really seen Kei-Katsuragi-"

"It's just the two of us here" Tsukiyo noticed. "You don't have to pretend and use his surname."

"I haven't seen Keima much lately" Mio tried again, suddenly grateful she and Keima didn't have any embarrassing pet names for each other.

"Because of the exams?"

"Yes" Mio admitted. "But, generally speaking, it's not that bad. Like you said... there's... progress."

"I meant it as a joke..." Tsukiyo said. "So... what happened?"

Mio was quiet, thinking. Their parents didn't know yet. And she didn't know if Keima was okay with telling them, much alone telling Tsukiyo. The last thing she needed now was to strain their trust. Before she decided, Tsukiyo spoke again.

"It's all right, you don't have to tell me now" she told Mio. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Thanks, but you don't need to worry about me" Mio replied, determined to not tell anyone that she cried when she got with Keima. Actually, the fact that he out of all people had to see her crying was infuriating. As if she didn't have enough faults.

Her musings were stopped by something hitting her back.

"There you are!" it was Urara, who found them, before taking a seat next to Tsukiyo. "I was looking for you!"

The moon-lover coughed lightly and suddenly got very interested in another sandwich, while Mio cringed internally. Don't get her wrong. Urara was a really good friend and all, but the exam period had a strange effect on her. In short, Urara was prone to panic attacks before tests and she would pester others with things ranging from asking them to quiz her or rambling about her last test. It became annoying rather quickly.

Even Yui had trouble dealing with her. It was one more reason Mio wanted those exams to be over with already.

Urara didn't take the message and started a riveting conversation with Tsukiyo, while Mio opened another sandwich on her own and bit a big chunk off it, before making a decision.

She really needed to talk with Keima.

(* * *)

Mio briefly considered talking with Keima at school, but he stayed in his classroom during breaks. And he wasn't alone – his sister and classmates were always close by. Urara liked to visit there too. Even worse, Kanon Nakagawa was attending the school for the exams and she wanted to use the opportunity to hang out with Keima and she had to do it subtly, so her fans wouldn't realize.

So the school itself was out and after some more thinking Mio gave up and decided on almost simple and almost direct approach. Near the end of the school she took out her phone and sent a mail. Then she grabbed her jacket and waited.

And, as expected, Keima finally walked out of the school alone. She took a deep breath and moved from her spot and walked up to him.

"Hey" she started, trying not to think about the Keima from her dream. Keima looked up from his console.

"Oh... hey" he replied. His voice was sounding weird, as if he was uncertain what to say.

"How it's going?" she said what had to be the lamest opener ever.

"Aside from Kodama giving me death stares and girls suddenly gaining even more respect for my exam-preparing methods? Nothing much" he said before looking at her. "How about you?"

"Tolerable" she replied. "This year's exams are much less of a pain. Thanks to you, of course" she added, giving him, what she hoped was a warm smile.

Keima nodded.

"By the way, where is your sister?" Mio asked.

"Went to buy something related to Kanon. Probably another CD or poster" he said and Mio smiled knowingly. Keima didn't know Eri did that, but only because Mio texted her earlier. "Do you need something from her?"

"Not really" Mio told him. "Actually, I'm kinda happy she's not here."

"Why?" Keima asked.

"Umm... because I can do the after-school event? Walking home together, right?" she asked and, when Keima looked blankly at her, suddenly a very bad idea struck her. "The thing that happened a few days ago at your place... please tell me it wasn't a dream..."

"Oh that, no it wasn't a dream-ouch!"

"Don't whine, I hit you lightly" she hung her bag back over her shoulder.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"For being a jerk" she told him. "I knew not to expect much, but you could've at least called once, you know?"

"I'm sorry" Keima told her and, while it was obviously not enough to abate her frustration completely, it sounded strangely honest. "It's just... I didn't want to break your focus" he explained. "Even mom gave you a few days off because she believed you'll need it."

Mio snorted. "Do you really think you can break my focus so easily?"

It happened instantly. Keima grabbed her hand, spun her around and before she knew it they were in a small alley and she was with her back against the wall, while Keima was hovering over her with his eyes piercing hers and his hand on her arm. Mio immediately saw similarities between the current situation and her dream.

She swallowed, from surprise or anticipation, she didn't know.

"Considering what happened a few days ago and how you look right now" Keima told her, his breath visible and caressing her cheek. "Yes, I really think I can break your focus easily" then he let her go and started walking away.

"W-wha-hey!" she shouted and ran after him. "If you're going to do that that much then at least finish what you started!" she ordered, indecency of public displays of affection be damned.

To her surprise Keima stopped in his tracks, making her bump into him.

"Is that so?" he turned around to look at her, a smirk dancing on his lips. "If you want that then how about you make me do it?"

"What?" she asked, confused.

"I mean, you should make me want to do that, you know?" he explained with a smile.

Mio thought about it only to realize he had a point there – she certainly didn't want to force him into things. So he said she needed to use persuasion... perhaps seduction, but not force. Then again...

"Shouldn't that apply to you as well?" she asked.

"I guess that's right" he replied. "But the truth is... that I'm not really sure what I should do... what I'm supposed to do..."

Mio laughed merrily with her eyes closed and completely missed the look Keima gave her.

"God of Conquest doesn't know what to do?" she asked. "Am I hearing this right?"

"In case you've forgotten, the confession event already happened and we've ventured beyond" he told her. "I've no idea what will or should happen now."

"Oh, so that's what you meant" she said slowly. "Ironic..."

"What is?"

"The fact that I'm trusting your games here... the after-school event" she clarified seeing his puzzled look.

It was his turn to laugh.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Nothing" he said. "It's just... that younger sisters are allowed to participate in the after-school event" he glanced at her. "So there's was no need to get rid of Eri..."

Mio felt her cheeks heat up. So he figured it out.

"But she doesn't know about... us" she noticed.

"Right" Keima agreed. Apparently he wasn't too keen to tell everyone as well.

"You want to keep it a secret?" Mio asked, determined to accept his decision.

To her surprise Keima shook his head. "There's no point" he said. "I just think we should wait for the end of the exams. I don't want to hear my mother say that..."

"...you were breaking my focus, I know" Mio finished for him. She was quiet for a moment and then she got an idea. She smiled deviously.

"Speaking of exams... they're very taxing" she started, going for a tired expression on her face and flexing her neck, as if she was exhausted from nights spent drudging over books. Keima glanced at her, but said nothing.

"I feel it would be very difficult for me to study because of all this stress... it could negatively affect my performance on my next test" she continued her voice sounding casually. "If only someone could help me relax..."

"And what would help you relax, my lady?" Keima asked casually as well, but Mio sensed he was playing his part and smiled.

"A sled ride would be nice for starters" she suggested. She knew it was a bit childish and looked away to hide her pink cheeks.

Keima shook his head and smiled. She was obviously asking for a date, even if she refused to call it as such. Granted, he wasn't looking forward to spending afternoon in this cold, but he had already decided to be a good boyfriend to the best of his – very limited in real world – ability.

"Well, I can't have you fail exams when I spent so much effort on tutoring you now, can I?" he replied and she flashed him her small triumphant smile.

(* * *)

Mio learned from her mistakes and this time around she removed her hairpins from the start so she wouldn't lose them. Should she also let her hair loose? But it would fly in all directions... Should she leave it in pigtails? A ponytail perhaps?

Then again, she was not Haruhi Suzumiya. And Keima was not Kyon. Even if one of them _was_ kinda godlike.

"I'm back" she heard and knew Keima was back with a sled. Mio wasn't sure, but she thought she heard unusual merriness in his voice. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah..." Mio replied, putting her hairpins in her pocket and deciding to leave her pigtails just the way they were.

(* * *)

She realized the reason for Keima's mood when it turned out he had rented two sleds, one for each of them, clearly suggesting a race. This wasn't exactly what Mio had in mind, but Keima knew what he was doing when he shot her a challenging look.

Five minutes later they were already sliding down the hill and Mio was trying her best to outspeed him, but Keima was taking turns skillfully, leaving her behind, but not too far,to keep her trying. Every time she was close, he would block her way, forcing her to change direction and then he would look at her over his shoulder with a cocky smile. In the end he won.

But she demanded a rematch and started first this time, to even the game. Keima agreed, certain he would be able to overtake her. And he would've been right... if it weren't for Mio sliding close to snowdrift of particularly fresh snow and then showering him with snow and creating a smokescreen of sorts. In result, Keima drove right into another snowdrift and stopped, leaving laughing Mio to continue on her merry way.

Keima then proposed best out of three, so they climbed the hill one more time for the final slide with their pride on the line. This time around she was doing much better, their sleds going neck and neck for a while... until Keima exploited her position on a particular nasty turn and overtook her.

Or at least tried to, because Mio, in a last-ditch resort, jumped out of her sled, hitting Keima in mid-air and knocking him over, both of them going off-track and landing in the slow.

"That was a hit below the belt" Keima told her, trying to get snow out of his hair.

"The end justifies the means" she replied, smiling. "I'm a born winner! Get used to it!"

"You barely saved yourself from utter defeat" he noticed. "That makes you a sore loser."

"Look who's talking!" she returned the jab, still smiling. "I guess we could call it a draw."

"In that case could you get off me?" he asked. "Instead of shoving my face in the snow?"

"No, I like it here" she replied from her position sitting on his back, before leaning to whisper to his ear "But I could get off for one small favor... if you know what I mean."

She saw the skin on Keima's neck redden. "All right" he said as he turned around to face her. Mio grinned and then looked around, to make sure they were hidden from view, before she leaned closer and shut her eyes. A moment later she felt something touch her lips... and it didn't feel like Keima's lips.

She opened her eyes only to see that Keima had put his finger to her mouth instead.

"Hey!" she shouted in anger. "That was-"

"A hit below the belt?" he finished for her and smiled craftily. "Now, let's go before we catch a cold. Your mother will kill me if you spend the rest of the week sick in a bed."

(* * *)

Of course Mio wouldn't let it end like that – Keima managed to walk five steps before a snowball hit him in the back of the had. After another fierce snowball fight they spent the next hour in a small café enjoying the hot cup of coffee.

On one hand, Mio was angry that she didn't get a kiss, but she tried not to show it, especially since that small smile still danced on Keima lips from time to time. On the other hand, being close to him like that felt nice. There was this mysterious force that drew her towards him. She was unable to glimpse its true nature, but she knew that she preferred staying with him like that, even though he didn't really reciprocate her feelings. Not yet. It didn't deter her from trying though. Quite the opposite – she knew there was so much more she could get, so much more worth fighting for...

And she suspected that this was his general idea – to spur her on, so she would either succeed or give up with no regrets.

Anyway, she already felt charged and prepared to face the rest of her exams, so she decided to let Keima be for a few more days. After that, she thought, she'll hunt him down, corner him and get what she wanted.

(* * *)

A few days have passed and the exams finally ended. The student body breathed a collective sigh of relief, with the exception of the ones like Urara, who were still anxious, worrying about their results. With all due respect Mio felt for her friend, she couldn't understand her – they were simple annoying end-of-the-year tests, not university entrance exams!

Anyway, the test period was over and Mio didn't want to waste any more time. So on Saturday she made sure no-one was following her and walked outside the school, where Keima was already waiting.

"Hey" he greeted her. "Is everything fine?"

"Yeah" she replied. "I had trouble shaking off Urara, but I managed."

"So, are we ready to go?" he asked.

Mio nodded and they started walking. They were quiet for a while, but Keima noticed she kept glancing on his console.

"Does it bother you?" he asked, ready to put it away.

"Not really" Mio replied. "I was just thinking... you can play six games at once with just two hands, right?"

"You know I can" he replied. "What of it?"

"Well, if two hands mean six games, then you should be able to play three games with just one hand."

"It doesn't work like that" he explained. "Playing with one hand is just..."

"Not even one game? Some gaming god you are..." she teased.

Keima didn't reply, so she thought that her plan was dashed to the ground before she could get to the second step...

...when she suddenly felt his hand embrace hers.

"W-what are you doing?" she stuttered out, her cheeks pink from more than just cold.

"An after-school event" he replied calmly.

"I-idiot! I didn't say that because I wanted you to hold my hand, you know!?" she said, flustered, but she didn't jerk her hand away.

Keima was taller then average, but he was rather slim and certainly not bulky, yet his hand felt so much bigger than hers. And warm. Most of his hand was smooth, reminiscing of a hand of a girl, but his fingers were calloused, a testament to his love of dating sims.

She briefly remembered the time when she had punched him back then at the party and realized how comical it must've looked – a small girl punching the crap out of a boy. Despite that, she doubted she was stronger than him... and even if she was, he was still a boy... no, a man... there was this strange sense of calmness and security she felt when he was walking next to her. A little bit of it was similar to how father and family felt, but the rest of the feeling was really alien.

So this was how it fels to hold hands? This is what having a boyfriend fels like.

They stayed quiet for the rest of the walk, but Mio didn't mind. Actually, it was so nice that she didn't even notice when they arrived at their destination.

The humble household of the Aoyama family.

"All right" Mio said, as if it was someone else's house she was about to enter. "Let's do it already."

(* * *)

"Mom?" Mio asked as soon as she ushered Keima inside. "Are you here?"

No answer.

"Great" Keima remarked sarcastically. "She's gone now out of all times."

"It's Saturday, so she doesn't go to work... normally" Mio said, checking the time on the wall clock. "But I think she'll be home shortly. Maybe she just went shopping."

Keima nodded his head, while looking around. "This place seems much better than the last time I was here" he noticed.

"You think so?" Mio asked casually, but inside she was smiling proudly. She had woken up early today to clean a bit, knowing he'll be coming today. However, she felt Keima meant something else than just the apartment being clean. Truth be told, she was a little anxious for him to be here – especially when it was just the two of them – but she had to face it.

"So, we just wait for your mother?"

"Generally, yes" Mio told him. "But before that... I want to do something."

Keima chuckled. "Aren't you worried your mother might nab us?" he asked.

"Huh? What's wrong with that?" she asked, when the meaning of Keima's words caught with her. "That's not what I meant, pervert!" she slugged him below his ribs – refusing to recognize how right he was – and then grabbed his arm. "Now, get over here."

Keima didn't resist, nursing his aching side and thinking. He knew she'll react like that, so why did he say that? Did she have a natural ability to coerce such comments from him? Or maybe he unconsciously did that to help her with stress management? He didn't know.

He was expecting Mio to drag him to her room or to the couch, but they stopped near the center of the small room and Mio was suddenly looking nervous. And not the 'I'm about to make out with a boy' type of nervous. Any such thoughts were completely forgotten, however, when Mio spoke.

"Hello, Papa. I'm home."

Keima blinked. Only now he noticed that they were staying in front of the altar dedicated to Mio's late father. The proud face of Yuuri Aoyama was looking back at Keima from his portrait. Keima also noticed burnt incense. Mio must've left it here in the morning. However, if Keima thought Mio only wanted to say 'hi' then he was in for a surprise. She grabbed Keima and brought him closer, as if to let her father see him.

"Umm... this is Keima Katsuragi. The boy I've told you about" she continued, her cheeks turning pink. She did that a lot lately, Keima thought, before returning to the matter at hand.

So Mio wanted to 'introduce' him to her father. He briefly wondered how much had Mio 'told' him in the first place. For now he decided to play along.

"Good afternoon" he said, bowing a little and already out of lines. He didn't have experience talking to the girls' deceased fathers. Even in games. Certainly things like 'how are you feeling' were out of the question. It also wouldn't be wise to mention he had practically met Mio's father in the past. "I have heard a lot about you from your lovely daughter."

"Lovely? What?" Mio mumbled out, trying to step on his foot and failing only because of her flustered state. "Don't say what you don't mean!"

"She could learn how to take compliments though" Keima continued, steadying the girl with his arms. "Still, she have grown splendidly. You can be proud of her."

Jackpot, he thought as he saw Mio practically emit steam from her red face.

"A-anyway" she said after a moment. "The thing is... this boy is my boyfriend" she grabbed Keima's hand as if to prove her point. "He can be a jerk sometimes, but he's a brilliant young man. And he's very... dedicated" she paused for a moment and the continued in a patient tone. "Yes, I remember what you said about boys."

Keima's thoughts about this were mixed. The point of Mio's conquest was for her to accept her father's dead and for the most part she did, yet she was still talking to her father's portrait as if he was alive and she needed his permission to date Keima.

Mio nudged him in the side secretly and he realized he had been quiet for a moment.

"Right... so, as you're daughter said... I'd kinda like to date her..."

"It's already done, idiot" Mio interjected.

"...and I'll take good care of her."

"You better" she said again with her arms crossed over her chest, but she wasn't looking angry. "All right, I think that's fine. See you later, Papa!"

"You do realize your father's soul was sent to New Hell for purification?" he asked once Mio closed the altar and walked to the kitchen part. "For all we know he might've already reincarnated."

"I know" she replied, while filling the teapot and placing it on the stove.

Keima dropped the topic.

"And what was that about me 'growing splendidly'? You know well enough that I haven't grown a single millimeter since we've met!" Mio said, eyeing him harshly. "And I'm looking the same as I did in elementary school... I grew taller, but that's it... every part of me got a little larger, but I'm still looking like a kid with this bo-" she stopped in mid-word, obviously realizing she said too much.

Keima sighed. This only proved what he already suspected.

He decided on sarcasm. "Right... you haven't grow at all. You're still that haughty, stubborn girl that refused to accept help and move on with her life. You're totally not strong-willed, determined and hard-working girl. Not at all" he saw that she was listening intently, so he got to the point. "Look, I've seen enough game stories to recognize a brilliant development when I see one."

"But-" she tried, but stopped when he got closer, putting his arms on her shoulders.

"And the only person who is concerned with your height is you."

Mio bit her lip, visibly trying to accept what he was telling her, but Keima knew it might not be enough. As much as she was in love with him, he wasn't her entire world or the sole authority in this matter.

He looked at her again only to see she her gold eyes look right back at him. To his surprise he saw something in those eyes... as if he had managed to convince her. Come to think of it... he has never seen her eyes from this distance... those two golden orbs were kind of... mesmerizing... and somehow they seemed to get bigger and bigger, as if they were getting closer...

And then he could hear the clang of someone putting a key into a keyhole and trying to unlock a door.

Mio's eyes immediately widened and she backed away in panic and Keima let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Only now he has realized how close they were to each other. He broke out in cold sweat when he understood the situation. They almost kissed each other.

 _He_ almost kissed her.

"Mio? Are you home?" this voice could belong only to Mikoto Aoyama, who entered the house, a bag of groceries in her hand... and then abruptly stopped. By now Mio and Keima were safe distance from each other, but Mio's mother still stood there with her mouth slightly agape.

"Umm... hi mom..."

(* * *)

Keima didn't know much about Mikoto Aoyama, but considering she used to be a wife of a director of a major company, he was certain she had considerable social skills. Including the ability to read between the lines and conceal her reactions.

And he was right.

He was certain the older woman was completely ecstatic to the news of her daughter's relationship with him, even if her outside reaction was... reserved.

"Is that true, Mio, my dear?" she asked, sounding politely surprised.

"Of course it is, why would I lie about it?" Mio said back and shot her mother a look as if saying 'isn't that what you wanted?'.

"That's not what I meant. You know I want the very best for you" she then turned to Keima with her smile and polite stare, but Keima sensed some uncertainty in her gaze. Not that he was surprised – Mio's mother knew little... _very_ little about him, so a fair amount of distrust was expected.

"So who confessed first?"

"Umm... I did" Mio said. Keima could feel her squeeze his hand unconsciously. He squeezed back. The gesture must've given Mio more courage, because she continued. "And it's not like we're crazy in love with each other... we just decided to give it a try."

Keima maintained his poker face, fearing some backlash, but Mio's mother was apparently thankful for any progress with her daughter's love life, because she only smiled in understanding.

Considering Mio's background, it was fairly probable that her parents marriage came to being because of business rather than love...

"I see" Mio's mother said, putting her cup on the table and looked at Keima in thought. "Well... I was hoping Mio could persuade you to join us for dinner for some time."

It wasn't an open invitation, but Keima nodded slightly nonetheless. He knew about heroines' mothers enough to not oppose.

(* * *)

What followed was talking, talking and more talking. Mio was still not very good with being so close to Keima. Especially in front of her mother. Especially in front of her mother who was asking all those... questions.

One type of questions were the ones pertaining to Keima, his family, his past, future plans and world view. Those were rather dangerous topics, but Keima was well-prepared and... well... brilliant. He skillfully addressed or avoided practically all sensitive topics. And he was barely lying (even though Mio had told him beforehand that a few small lies won't hurt). She could tell he was doing a wonderful job, especially now that she had Keima and others' memories.

By the end of it, Keima had somehow told Mikoto Aoyama a lot of things, including something about his gaming habits and his outlook on the 'real', while avoiding being labeled as 'disgusting, hopeless, out-of-the-league-for-my-daughter otamegane'.

Actually, Mio was under impression that with each passing minute and each spoken sentence, her mother was more and more charmed by Keima. If she was neutral towards the boy at the beginning (or at least appeared that way) then by now she was openly praising Mio's taste in men. The blond girl herself just prayed for it to end already. Because if it doesn't then her mother will start calling Keima 'son'... and Mio's heart won't be able to take that.

Especially when the second types of questions were asked – the questions about their relationship.

That was too much for Mio, so she excused herself and went to the bathroom to take a small break. Only when she was back she had realized her grave mistake.

Her mother was now showing Keima what could only be Aoyama family's photo album.

Oh, crap...

"And here is Mio at her elementary school graduation ceremony" Mio's mother said, pointing to a particular photo.

"No, don't!" Mio tossed herself at the table, trying to protect the album with her body. She then shot her mother a glare and the other woman stood up.

"I think I'll get that dinner ready" and with that she left in the direction of the kitchen area. Mio looked back at the album, intending to take it back to her room. But the album has disappeared.

"You were a surprisingly cheerful child" she heard Keima speak next to her and she turned and, sure enough, the album was in his hands.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed quiet, but murderous enough.

"Gathering information" Keima replied calmly, before turning another page. "With others you show more composed and bossy attitude" he continued. "I've seen you do that with Yui and Urara... But all in all, you were pretty happy and energetic kid. And loud of course."

"Give me that back this instant" Mio ordered, lunging in his direction, arms reaching for the album, but Keima held it up, so all she managed was landing in his arms, her face inches from his. One second of surprise and then she was back on her seat, face aflame, album momentarily forgotten.

Keima only chuckled in victory.

"I'll have your mother show me _your_ photo album" Mio threatened.

"Sure" Keima replied. "I've no embarrassing photos anyway."

(* * *)

Mikoto Aoyama really outdid herself with the dinner, considering the little amount of time and rather simple ingredients she used. Keima thanked for the food, especially since he knew that one additional person meant increased expenses for Mio and her mother. As for Mio herself, she stabbed her pork chops with her fork. She knew Keima wasn't really a gourmet and she didn't consider herself a housewife material...

...yet in this very moment she regretted her more than lacking cooking skills. Heck... Keima was probably ten times the cook she was.

"What's wrong, Mio?" her mother asked.

"N-nothing" the girl replied, avoiding Keima's gaze.

(* * *)

"Be sure to visit us again soon, Katsuragi-san" those were Mio's mother last words, after which Mio and Keima found themselves outside.

"That went better than I have expected" Keima commented.

"Did it?" Mio asked, leaning against the railing and crossing her arms over her chest. "Anyway, if you tell anyone about those photos..."

"Then what?" he challenged. "Don't underestimate the power of god!"

"Don't underestimate the power of the real" she wagged her finger at him and then shivered. "Anyway, it's cold, so-"

"You did good today" he told her, clearly choosing her most unguarded moment.

"S-shut up!" she shouted back. "B-besides, anyone can spout that! Words aren't enough."

*smooch*

(* * *)

"Is everything all right, Mio?" Mikoto asked when her daughter walked back inside, cheeks red and gaze unfocused. The former was understandable due to temperature. The latter wasn't.

"Yeaah..." Mio said back, a shocked and dreamy expression on her face. "Everything's fine."

 **(* * *)**

 **So... Mio's mother knows...**

 **And Mio's father knows too... kinda...**

 **Truth be told, this chapter was supposed to have Mari learning the news as well, but the chapter was long already, so I cut it like that. And this actually means we're behind schedule (and not that we weren't in the first place).**

 **Besides that... the exams are finally over and the third year of high school draws near... or does it?**

 **And it seems Mio's experiencing slight... "withdrawal" symptoms and starts to daydream in the middle of the class. I hope you like her antics, reactions and the dynamics of her relationship with Keima. And Keima himself tries to be considerate, despite how difficult it may be...**

 **We also get sledding race and a few... moments. I wonder if we're going too fast...**

 **The problem from now is that I have quite several loose ideas. I'd like to squeeze them into just 5 chapters, but I'm afraid that's impossible... We'll see...**

 **So, we're going both too fast and too slow. :)**

 **Anyway, as usual I kindly ask you to favorite, follow and review this story.**

 **I hope to post the next chapter before 15th of September, but it's not guaranteed to happen. Semptember and beyond will be... troublesome. Anyway, look forward to future chapters!**

 **See you next time!**


	12. Flag 52: One thing after another

**Hello, everyone! I'm back with the newest chapter of MioNomi!**

 **Well, it was supposed to be a longer chapter, but I had problems with my computer (hopefully that's already behind us) and also some plot details were... uncooperative, so I decided to cut it where I did. Even so, this chapter is still some 4800 words, so it's a pretty decent size actually. If only my posting schedule was better...**

 **Anyway... I want to thank you all for your continuous support of this story. 7 and more reviews per chapter is really edifying for me and I can only hope it will stay that way. Here are the replies to the latest reviews:**

 **Sir sleeps-a-lot:** Hi. Glad you enjoyed the events and abundance of snow is actually kinda weird for me, as I rather dislike winter. Over the moon, huh? We'll see about that. Wait, those were actual tropes? I had no idea. -.-' I like that hat trick thing though... Ballroom, huh? I'll have to see into that, I guess. ;)

 **DPSS:** It's not that I disagree with you, you know? I just like to look at things from different perspective. The games very purpose is that you can play them many times over and the development is kinda lost when you finish the game and go back to the main menu. Of course, there's a great deal of games with player charactered developing – most commonly through stats – but often it's much important what the hero does to the rest of the world with his deeds. And from what I've seen galges are like that. Hero is rarely shown and often doesn't have a voice (this is usually for immersion though), He can be mute in some cases. This reminds me of Chrono Trigger. The protagonist doesn't say a word and for the part of the show he even isn't there at all to do anything. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the chapters so far. (wow, that's a big reply for such a short review :P).

 **DarkBladerZX:** Good to hear that. :) I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well.

 **NotAnAuthor504:** Wow, one simple mistake made twice close to each other. I have to pay more attention to what I write. Especially when sometimes I'm not all that aware and I want to write "leave" and I end up writing "live". -.-' Well... If Tsukiyo didn't woke Mio then I'm sure we would've a hat trick... if you catch my drift. :P Well, in this setting there's 18 girls he had kissed if my math is right, but a good portion of it is the girls kissing him, not him kissing girls. I wonder what that does for his kissing skills, but apparently Mio is not complaining about the quality. Only about quantity. :) It like to thinkg Keima got a French kiss from Hinoki. It's only a headcanon though. And in my universe he got one more. If you don't know was it, then go back to KamiNomiNai fanfic. :)

 **ZelgadisGW:** Uh-oh... Keima and Mio. Normal couple. Uh-oh. :) Yes, I think I know what you mean. Depends on what you mean by chemistry. With Ayumi it was more physical (at least that was the reason it got more serious), while with Mio... it's hard to say really.

 **Shawn Raven:** Hello. And thank you very much from the start. :) Yeah, Mio somewhat moaned in her sleep and maybe it was a lewd dream. I'm not sure. The connection was lost prematurely. ;P Hah! Keima's a tease! :) As for Mari and Eri's rections... just read on and see. :)

 **Al00p:** Hello. I'm very happy you enjoy my stories. I hope you'll continue to follow and review them. :) I also wish you luck with your writing. I'm always happy to see new faces here on TWGOK fandom. I hope I'll see you around.

 **NiteyNite11:** Wow... I'm honored you would binge-read two of my fics and you enjoy them like that. I hope future chapters will be to your liking as well. :)

 **Okay, that's it for now. Let's get this show on the road!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

On Saturday Mio still had a set of options available to her, but now that her mother was already aware of her and Keima's… budding relationship she didn't have any choice anymore – they had to inform Keima's mother as well or consequences could be dire. Well… maybe not dire, but Mio was certain Mari would want to know as soon as possible and the blonde was smart enough to not incur the wrath of the former biker gang member.

Thus, Mio allowed herself one day break and then planned to pay Mari a visit. Of course, she had to go – now that the exams were over she had her part-time job to attend to. And Mio preferred for Mari to remember her as a reliable, diligent and hard-working girl and not some tardy, snotty brat…

Since exams were over Monday classes were pretty relaxed and everyone could already feel the end of the school year was drawing near. Soon time for graduation ceremony will come and after that there will be the spring break – the last thing separating them from their third and final year of high school.

Usually spring break was salvation, but for the first time in her life Mio's was actually scared of it.

I mean, of course, she won't be able to fully enjoy the break – she still had to work and she would be doing it full-time weren't she worried about affecting Keima's family budget too much. But the reason for her anxiety was different.

A few weeks practically free from school was a perfect opportunity to do… stuff. And for the first time since Mio felt that she was fully back on the track with regards to her life. And for the first time in her life she had boyfriend she could share this time with. A part of her wanted to use all the time and enjoy her youth. Another part of her wanted to take it easy for now, as her and Keima's relationship was still very fresh.

And there was third part of her. The part that was scared shitless of taking any steps.

"What are you thinking about?"

Mio was so startled that she practically jumped on her seat, almost knocking over the vase on the small table she was sitting by.

In front of her was Keima.

"What are you doing here?!" she sputtered, her face red in embarrassment.

Keima raised his eyebrow at that.

"Weren't you the one who said we should meet here?" he asked back.

His voice was even and detached, although not as much as it used to be in the past. And there was a hint of mirth in it. She could feel it.

"I know that!" she said in frustration. "I just… didn't hear you coming…"

"That's because you were lost in thoughts" he replied. "That's why I asked what were you thinking about."

Mio was glad his eyes were back to his console, because he couldn't see her blush.

"I was thinking about today" she replied.

"About what happened or what's going to happen?" he asked.

"Take a guess."

He looked up from his console. "We don't have to do it today. We can-"

"No" Mio cut him off. "It's better to do it quickly. Besides, how bad could it be?"

Keima was quiet for a moment. "I guess you're right. Shall we get going then?"

(* * *)

One thing Mio was certain of – the sooner everyone else knows Keima and her were an item the sooner they will be able to walk openly together. And Mio could get used to Keima walking her home like that. Well, he was really walking her to her part-time job, but it was still fine. Except…

Mio glanced at Keima. He was busy playing his games as usual. She sighed internally. It was kinda wrong to pull him away from his hobby, but she wished he paid more attention to her than that.

Beggars can't be choosers, huh? Or can they? Perhaps all she needed was to ask him to hold her hand? And she could use the "learn about the real" excuse.

No… there was not point in forcing anything. She should just be patient. She wasn't some common lovestruck schoolgirl!

Well… she wasn't common at least…

(* * *)

They both decided that it was better to talk to Mari once Mio was done with her job and the café was closed. So the day proceeded pretty normally, except for the fact that Keima was at the café as well, although he didn't have a lot to do, so he spend most of the time glued to his console.

Mari, on the other hand, was acting a little different than normal. She was mostly taking orders, entertaining customers and cleaning the tables with Eri, while leaving the counter to Mio. Of course, the blonde saw through it – Mari was just trying to create opportunity for her and Keima to get closer.

Just one more reason to get it over with.

Finally, the last customer had left and they started cleaning the café. Ten minutes later everything was done and Mio was back in her regular clothes. Then she looked around until she was sure she had caught Keima's gaze. And then she nodded.

Keima nodded back.

Mio turned around and went to the living room of the Katsuragi family, trusting Keima to bring his mother there. And she was minutes later Mari Katsuragi was sitting by the coffee table alongside Mio, Keima and Eri. Each one was presented with a cup of steaming hot coffee.

Keima's coffee.

"This is incredible!" Mari said, then she composed herself and narrowed her eyes at Keima. "Since when can you do this?"

"That's beside the point" Keima stated calmly. "We're here to tell you something" he looked at her cup. "You might wanna put that down for a moment."

Mari did as she was told, before looking at all of them. "What is it?" she asked uncertain. "Eri didn't fail her exams, did she?"

"We don't know the results yet, but I'm certain Eri did… fine. So no, it's not that."

Mari looked at Eri who was just as confused as her. Mari then looked at Mio.

"You're not quitting your job, are you?"

Mio couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"No" she said. "It's the opposite actually" at this point she moved her hand from her cup along the tabletop and slid it into Keima's.

She didn't really know how to say it, but she quickly realized there was no need to say anything as both Mari and Eri blinked twice, then their eyes traveled to their hands resting on the table.

This was where the similarities between mother and daughter ended, because Eri squealed in pure excitement and flailed her arms wildly like a schoolgirl, while Mari did something completely different. She froze on the spot and remained silent and unmoving… until she leaned back and slid halfway down to the ground.

Good thing they were sitting on sofas. If it were chairs Mari would probably just fall backwards on the floor.

"Is it true?!" Eri practically yelled.

"Can't you be a little quiet, you buggy sister?!" Keima hissed. "And it depends on what you mean by 'it'."

"Are you two going out?" Eri clarified, as if she didn't hear the first part of Keima's answer.

"Yes" he said simply, hoping it was enough, but apparently it wasn't as Eri's gaze turned suspicious.

"You're going out with a real girl?" she asked him, but her gaze was fixed on Mio.

"Well, it was a little sudden, but we both came to a conclusion that we wouldn't mind... trying" Keima explained.

"Really?" Eri mused aloud.

"Yes. Really."

"Really really?"

"For god's sake, yes!" Keima yelled.

Eri was unfazed by this, as she turned to Mio with a smile.

"Congratulations, Mio-ch-I mean Mio-san."

It was then that Mio decided it was the time to get a little closer to the firetruck-lover.

"You can call me Mio… or even Mio-chan if you want" she said before her cheeks reddened. "But only in private, understood?"

"Don't worry, I'll remember that… um… are you all right mother?" the last remark was directed at Mari, who stood up and walked towards the kitchen area.

"I think I need a drink" she said, retrieving a whiskey bottle and a glass from one of the cupboards.

Mio was hoping Mari's urge to drink was caused by extreme joy.

"First, I'm very happy for you two" the orange-haired woman started as soon as she came back to the table after taking a swig. Were those tears in her eyes? "Second, I'm very proud of you, Keima!" yep, those were definitely tears. "You've finally grown up and I was beginning to think that you'll neve-" Mari hesitated, probably thinking she said too much. Mio smiled internally. If only she know as much about her son as Mio did… "Anyway, I'm glad you finally turning… like this."

"I think you're overestimating my... progress" Keima said quietly.

We'll see about that, Mio thought. She was slowly regaining her composure.

It was fine.

Mari and Eri approved.

Everything was fine.

"Sooo" Mari said, her hair a little tousled now. Mio just hoped Mari won't slip into her biker persona by the time the the visit was over. "How did it happen? Who confessed first?"

Keima immediately pointed to Mio. "She did" he said without even raising his head.

Mio tossed him a side-glance, before pointing at him. "Only because he... goaded me into doing it."

"I just said we could talk if you wanted to" he replied, turning to her.

"Whatever" Mio crossed her arms over her chest. "Like I had any choice back then."

"If you had then you'd just try to weasel out of it" he countered. "So I helped you confess."

"You took advantage of me when I was vulnerable!"

"I comforted you!"

"And whose fault was it I needed comfort?" she challenged.

"I said I was sorry!"

"That doesn't change the fact you were a jerk" Mio said after a short pause.

"A jerk you're in love with" he reminded her.

"Don't get cocky!" she said.

"Weren't you the one who hit me for belittling myself?" he asked smiling.

Eri and Mari were looking back and forth between Keima and Mio as if they were watching a tennis match.

"You're a stupid, arrogant and insensitive jerk!" Mio jabbed.

"That's not what you said last time" Keima noticed.

"Jerk."

"You said that before."

"Idiot."

"Are you out of arguments?"

"Shut up!" she told him, but she had to force herself not to smile.

They were bantering!

And it was feeling kinda good too.

Mio didn't really notice up till now, but all this… event made her kind of tense. But now she could practically feel all the stress leave her body and she had to wonder whether Keima started this argument deliberately.

Whatever… who cares? Mari knows of her and Keima's relationship and approves and Keima's bantering with her!

She was just thinking that nothing could go wrong now, when she heard Eri speak.

"They're so close they could almo-"

"Quiet!" Mari hissed in response.

Mio blinked. Only now she noticed she and Keima had leaned closer throughout their argument.

She reacted instinctively. She shoved Keima away and returned to her coffee, painfully aware of her heating face and the glare Keima was directing at… well… everyone.

"Aww… that was cute!" Eri said probably not sensing the dreadful aura emanating from both her brother and Mio.

"As I was saying" Keima resumed, eyeing his sister. "We both came to a conclusion that we wouldn't mind... trying this... route and thus we have decided to inform our parents."

If Keima's wording seemed weird to Mari then she didn't let it show. However, if Mio thought that the orange-haired woman was drunk already, then the next question proved she was sober enough to read between the lines.

"So your mother already knows?" Mari asked Mio.

"Yes" Mio replied.

Mari nodded. "Then I leave my son in your care" she said before leaning over the table to whisper into Mio's ear. "But don't hesitate to kick his ass when he acts like an idiot" she said quietly.

"Um… yeah, I'll keep that in mind" Mio replied, although she wasn't all that convinced. Of course, she would have to be a little strict with Keima – with his real-life aptitude and her personality it was inevitable – but the last thing she needed was for him to view her as violent quarrelsome nagger…

"However, I have to lay down some rules" the woman said, getting the attention of all three teens. "First, no displays of affection during work."

"Oh no… what I'm gonna do with my free time now" Keima replied sarcastically. He clearly thought there was no need for such a rule, as it would have no application. Mio wasn't so sure however.

Apparently Mari thought that as well.

"Don't talk to me like that, young man!" Mari wagged her finger at him, as if Mio was her daughter and Keima was some boy who asked to date her. "You're very inexperienced with such things! The last thing you need right now is to let it get to your head!"

Keima looked at his mother, his face reddening and Mio was sure it wasn't just from anger. She also knew Mari was referencing several events of the last few months: Keima taking part in the sports festival, girls waiting for him at the café after they received the memories, the 'joint studying' event and – most important of all – Mio's affection for him.

"Second" Mari's voice brought Mio out of her reverie. "I'm not yet ready to be a grandma, so sex or anything too… frolic is absolutely prohibited!"

At this Mio spat out the last of her coffee all over the table, her face changing from unhealthy pale to dangerously red in an instant. Keima dropped his console, but his palms and fingers continued to move, as if he was trying to press invisible buttons… or strangle some invisible neck. Eri's reaction was the calmest, she tilted her head to the side and furrowed her brows before speaking.

"Sex?" she asked curiously and Mio prayed that the centuries old girl was really as air-headed and innocent as she seemed. "Do you mean-mphph!" the rest of her words was drowned when Keima covered her mouth.

"Silent, you bug-ridden menace!" he said, looking positively murderous and Eri's face was slowly turning blue from the lack of oxygen. Mari however didn't notice, as she was busy talking to Mio.

"Remember that you are still very young and have every right to refuse" the orange-haired woman instructed patiently. "So if Keima ever tries to pressure you then you just kick his ass or just tell me and I'll have a _talk_ with him."

"Pressure?" Keima asked, outrageous, his attention now fixed on Mari, while Eri was leaning back on her sofa, trying to catch her breath. "Talk? I don't need such flags! This is just a trial route, yet you're talking as if we…" he paused for a moment. "I had enough of this introduction event. Can we go now?" he finally asked. He'd rather have his family think him and Mio were dying to spend some time alone and snog than stay here and listen to her mother talk about... _that_.

However, a problem arose and, surprisingly, in the form of Mio.

"Hold it right there!" the blonde said. "I'm not going anywhere until I see all the embarrassing picture from your photo album!"

Before Keima could open his mouth to retort, Mari stood up and left in the search of the said album, a playful and vindicative smile plastered on her face.

(* * *)

Throughout his life Keima had almost never paid any attention to the real and his relations with his family had been a little loose to say the least. He had never been really interested when his family took pictures of him. However, despite all that, he still knew exactly what kind of pictures were inside the photo album, so there was nothing to fret about. And this led to the current situation where he was staring at the small book Mari brought with only three words on his mind.

What. The. Hell.

The photo album contained a multitude of pictures he had never seen before and even those that he had were not like he remembered them. The most obvious difference being the presence of Eri in pretty much every picture of him.

What the hell is this, he thought, not far from exploding from anger, as he looked at a picture of 10 year old Eri with a marker snickering above the sleeping younger version of him. His face was covered with various scrawls and scribbles.

He didn't remember _that_ one! Yet, mother and Eri apparently was that possible? Was he the only person in his family who had no recollection of those events?

Next to him Mio was nearing a point of explosion as well. But in her case it would be explosion out of pure laughter.

"Hahaha!" she laughed loudly, both of her hands holding her tummy and trying to prevent her ribs from cracking. "This is great!"

"Isn't it?" Mari replied, entranced as well. "I almost forgot how cute child Keima could be at times."

"No argument there" Mio agreed, looking at the picture of Eri sitting on Keima and holding one of his earlier gaming consoles on a stick in front of him like a one showed the group photo from the first grade of elementary school. Eri had her "1000 watt" smile, while Keima was busy with his console. Mio smiled when she was able to locate Urara on the picture and, after a few more seconds, Tenri.

She then felt as if she was being watched and turned only to see Keima glare daggers at her.

"Aren't you having a little too much fun?" he asked.

Mio sticked her tongue out at him. "What's a matter? Can't take the taste of your own medicine?" she asked, although internally she wasn't so certain. She didn't want to alienate him. But she couldn't help it!He _was_ an adorable child after all...even with all this neutral and snarky demeanor… or maybe because of it. "Besides, it's not that bad so far, you know?"

Keima huffed, but didn't try to stop her. He had seen her photo album after all. Still, he was much more… reserved with expressing his opinion than her.

"But there's still more to see!" Eri said, turning another page in the album. "In particular there's this one-" she broke off when she saw Keima's stare. "Umm… I think I should go practice my guitar… since the exams ended and all that" after which she quickly left the room and went upstairs.

(* * *)

An hour later Mio was talking with Mari, enjoying her second cup of Keima's coffee and browsing through the most memorable parts of the album, while Keima was leaning over the table, his forehead resting on the tabletop and mumbling what sounded dangerously similar to "I'm going to kill that bugged devil."

Mari was in the middle of telling Mio about her recent trip to South America (Mio had to hide her smile) when a new, artificial voice resounded. It was quiet as if coming from behind the wall.

"Pick up! Pick up!" it repeated.

"Who could've called at a time like this?" Mari said, standing up. "Excuse me for a moment."

"It's the ringtone of the café phone, isn't it?" Mio asked Keima as soon as Mari was out. "Why does it sound familiar?"

"You remember it from memories of Yui's conquest" he told her his face still on the tabletop.

Mio nodded and then awkward silence fell upon them. Mio was just about to return to the photo album, when she heard the not-so-quiet voice of Mari Katsuragi coming from the other room.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE WORK?!" the former biker gang member screamed.

"I guess dad has to go for another trip" Keima said, straightening up and reaching for his PFP.

"Do you… miss him when he leaves?" Mio asked before she could biteher tongue.

Keima shrugged. "He's working to earn money for our family, so I've nothing to complain about" he said. "Besides, he's my father wherever he is."

Mio nodded and went silent again. It would've been another awkward moment if it weren't for Mari's shouting.

"WE ALREADY PAID FOR IT! AND ERI WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!" a moment of silence and then she continued more quietly. "And it's not like we can get reimbursed now! Not even apart of-" she paused once again. And when she spoke again her voice was different. It brought to mind an image of some character cast in shadow who was plotting something. "You know what? I'll let it slide this time around... Uh-huh... Don't worry about that… You better… Yeah… Bye."

And after that they could hear Mari walk through the corridor, while dialing another number and going upstairs.

"What was that about?" Mio asked when it became quiet again.

Keima shrugged once more. "No idea" he offered simply, before changing the topic. "So what now? It's getting kinda late you know?"

Mio glanced at the clock on the wall. Keima was right. It was 8 PM already and while the days were getting longer, it was still pretty dark outside. As much as she would've liked to go with Keima to his room, it was time to leave.

Just then she heard some commotion, then there were footsteps and the door opened, revealing Eri.

"What's going on?" Keima asked.

Eri shrugged. "I'm not sure" she said. "Mom asked me to come down here. She'll be here in a moment. Said we needed to discuss something."

"Umm…" Mio sensed that Eri was speaking of some family matters and it wasn't her business. So she stood up. "I shall be going then."

Keima hesitated for a moment and then stood up as well, meaning to at least escort her outside. They were already near the living room door when they heard the Mari's voice from the other side.

"Yeah, I promise… Thank you for being so considerate… Yeah… goodnight."

And then she came through the door.

"Keima, Eri! We have something to discuss!"

Mio was just about to say something, but Mari grabbed her and Keima and the next instant the four of them were sitting by the table again.

"So… Keima, Eri, your father called just now."

The remainder of the table blinked.

"And…?" Keima prompted.

"Well… me and your father… were thinking about going on a short holiday during your break from school."

"Wait" Eri said, suddenly excited. "You mean…"

"Yes, the one week-long trip to Hokkaidō" Mari clarified.

Eri's eyes were now shining and her smile was so wide that it seemed to divide her face in two, while Mio and Keima exchanged a quick glance.

Mio could understand why Eri was so excited. She was pretty sure snow just didn't happen in New Hell, so it was the first time Eri experienced winter. And real family. It was obvious she would be looking forward to going on a trip like that.

Was the trip what Keima's father called about? But in that case…

"Well, the truth is we already made reservations" Mari said and Keima groaned quietly. Mio was positive he would go with his family (as long as they'll let him take his games) even though he would rather stay home the entire spring break.

Spring break. That made Mio huff. It was more like winter break – it was still snowing and she could bet her monthly allowance that in Hokkaidō it would be even colder than here.

And Keima going on a trip with his family actually meant there will be a week without her part-time job.

And a week without Keima.

Why did she frown at that last thought?

Gah! What was she thinking? Mari just wanted her to know that Keima will be away for a week. Now she was just intruding on a family conversation! She tried to stand up, but Mari discreetly put her hand on Mio's arm, forcing her to sit down again.

"So, we're going then?" Eri asked, too excited to notice anything else.

Mari sighed. "Well, something came up and your father… can't go with us."

Eri was quiet for a moment. "Oh…" she said, looking a little disappointed. "So we won't go?"

"We can still go with just the three of us" Keima suddenly interjected, his voice a bit strained. "Right?"

Mari looked at him. "Well, I suppose we could, but we booked a week for four people and we can't get reimbursed… so it would be a shame to waste money like that."

"What do you mean?" Eri asked.

"Well, we should still go with four people. We just need to find your father's replacement."

Mio had the urge to chuckle. Riiight. Where does Mari thinks she's going to find a replacement like that? Then she heard Eri shift and look in her direction. Keima sighed. And it was at this moment when Mio understood.

His glance back then. It wasn't because of Eri. It was because he had already recognized the pattern leading to this event.

"You've got to be kidding me" Mio said quietly. "You can't mean-"

"Yup!" Mari interjected with a smile. "I suggest Mio-chan goes with us on this trip" she exclaimed. "It's not like you'll be able to work with the café closed anyway."

"Oh!" Eri said. "That's a good idea!"

"W-w-wait!" Mio shouted, standing up and putting her hands on the table. "I-I don't have money for such a trip!"

Mari smiled a scary smile. "Weren't you listening? It's already paid for, so you don't need to worry about that" she said, before her hair stood on end as if shocked. "Besides, it's my husband's money, so he should be damn grateful we found a way out like that! Otherwise he would be in for some pain!"

"Um… can we go back to the topic?" Mio asked. "Anyway, my mother will never agree to let me alone for a week!"

"You won't be alone" Mari said. "And as a matter of fact, your mother already agreed" she showed Mio her phone and shook it a bit.

"What? How?" Mio asked, before realizing that wasn't very specific. "I mean, since when you know my mother's phone number?"

"Since Christmas, obviously" Keima interjected looking calm as ever.

"Anyway, your mother and me think it's a great idea! We believe you're old enough for this" Mari spoke. "Of course, I'll be responsible for you the entire time."

Mio didn't reply. She was still standing with her mouth open. On the outside she was motionless, but on the inside she was thinking.

It was too fast.

Snow frolics. Christmas. Part-time job. Going out. It was one thing after another. And now this? I mean a full week away from home? Just her, Keima and his family?

And the thing she thought about earlier today? Taking this spring break opportunity and enjoying her youth with her boyfriend?

Forget it.

It was too fast.

It was all going too fast.

"What's wrong, Mio-chan?" she heard Eri speak. Mio turned around and noticed that everyone was looking at her.

Mari looked troubled. "Umm… I mean… it was just a suggestion… we won't force you of course… but don't you want to go on a trip with us, Mio-chan?" she asked. "I bet Keima would be ecsta-".

"It's fine either way" Keima cut his mother off, before looking at Mio. "Just do what you want to do."

Mio gaped at him. Was this a hint? And hint for what? Should she refuse? Should she accept?

She looked at Eri, who was barely holding back her excitement, then at Keima, who seemed absorbed by his console and finally at Mari, who was in turn looking back at Mio.

"Keima's right. You don't have to decide right now, there's still time, you know?" the orange-haired said. "Just… just let us know before Friday, all right?" she then looked at the clock. "It's getting late. Keima, walk your girlfriend home."

Keima sighed soundlessly and stood up. Mio did the same, but she did it without thinking, her mind currently preoccupied with what she just learned.

Majority of her mind was in turmoil and looking for the slightest excuse to object and, if that didn't work, openly panic. However, somewhere deep inside her there was another part. A small, unnamed part that was telling her that the turmoil her mind and heart were experiencing was pointless, useless and counter-productive.

Because galge game theory stated her and Keima will wind up on this trip together, come hell or high water.

 **(* * *)**

 **So... Mari knows now as well. And Mio gets her revenge with regards with the photo album thing... which strangely contains pictures Keima has never seen before. Who'd have thought, huh?**

 **Anyway, it appears Mari takes things seriously and feels concerned with her own son (you know how the boys are at that age, right?) and thought it was imperative her and Mio had The Talk... which ended up in Mio wasting the last of her perfectly good coffee...  
**

 **Hm... I wonder if The Talk is actually a trope...**

 **(half an hour later)**

 **Oh, it is!**

 ***cough*** ***cough***

 **Anyway, where was I... oh, yeah. And when it looks like the visit is over, Mari suddenly suggest Mio a full-week pretty much free vacation with them (read: with Keima). What do you think about this kind of development? Does it justify the title of this chapter? And will Mio agree to go on this trip? Well... the route says it doesn't matter whether she agrees or not, but we can at least let her speak her mind, right?  
**

 **But, honestly, the idea for this trip came to me recently and wasn't originally planned. And as you might've already noticed, when the in-story time is considered, Mio's progressing a lot quicker than Ayumi (who would STILL be in her three-months pre-conquest phase), but the number of chapters and words is growing dangerously. The bottom line is: I probably won't be able to fulfill too many of my original goals with this trip, but I hope keeping Mio and Keima physically close to each other will bear some fruit and allow me to reach the next phase of the story...**

 **So cross your fingers and wish Keima and Mio luck :)**

 **As usual, I ask for you to review, follow and favorite this story at your leisure. And I hope the next chapter will be posted before September is out.**

 **That's it for today, I think.**

 **See you next time!**


	13. Flag 53: Strategy and preparation

**Hello, everyone! I'm back!**

 **At long last...**

 **First, my deepest apologies. It took me much longer than expected to put this chapter together. Truth be told, what you see here was pretty much done a few days ago, but I kept writing (correction: kept trying to write), because I didn't know where to cut the chapter. As you can see, I made a decision, but I have no idea if it was good or not. We will see in the next chapter.**

 **Oh and one more thing: it might be straining the fourth wall a bit, but when Mio tells you to pay attention, then you should do so, cause me and her suck at simple explanations...  
**

 **Anyway, as usual I'd like to thank you so much for all your support, including reviews. Seriously we're currently standing at 90 reviews! You guys are great! And, as usual, here are the replies:**

 **Sir sleeps-a-lot:** Yep, there was scene like that in TFPD. And I remember it. I remember it very well. Especially when mother was all "oh… so it's a threesome". Must be a very proud mother. :P Well, I didn't exactly forget to post it… I knew it would end up like that. My thoughts are the exact opposite: in Summer you have 2–3 months of being lazy (summer vacation), while in winter you have to study/work when it's cold, dark and windy. Pileup of romantic events? We'll see about that. And I'm sure Mari had a specific frolic activity in mind. Yes, the laptop is better now, but you know that already. Gosh… that feels like old times already,

 **Sasori69:** Well, I didn't think about it that way (even though it's obvious), but perhaps Mari is counting on them "practicing"... This fic becomes less T-rated by the second. Anyway, thanks for you review :P

 **NiteyNite11:** I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter and its pacing. :) And yes, I have the power to dictate the actions. I shouldn't abuse it though. But the "lost lambs" thing… I didn't think about it exactly that way, but it's surprisingly true. A lot of responsibility though. And yeah, it sounds like Wrathie, all right :)

 **DPSS:** Yes, it similar to Otome games… I wonder if all case we'll be like that though. I'm also afraid girls are using game strategies only half the time at best, so Keima is still vulnerable to "real life blindness" and being WrongGenreSavvy. XD

 **NotAnAuthor5** **04:** No errors? You're kidding me right? "There's always one more bug/error." xD Glad you enjoyed the "adorableness." I'm not sure if you're proud of me or Mio, but thanks anyway. :) And no, I certainly didn't try to make errors in review and I certainly don't feel like there'd be less errors in the chapter. Must be coincidence.

 **Shawn Raven:** Thank you for your review. :) Well, Mari didn't know much about Ayumi, so her introduction was… less expected, resulting in fainting, but Mari was much more prepared for Mio. Glad you liked the "banter" and "conditions" scene. I wonder how naive Eri is though. Well, I really doubt Keiichi had anything to do with this – he didn't know much about Mio anyway. Yes, let's hope the trip will be good stuff. :)

 **ZelgadisGW:** Well, apparently Mari also can't go through my chapters without drinking. XD Eri doesn't seem to understand the situation? I wouldn't be so sure about that one. Yes, it's Eri's reality warping thing. Keima wasn't altered, so he doesn't remember the photos Eri has "fabricated". As for the troubling part, I figured how to make trip less of a filler, so hopefully it will work out. Yep, you certainly don't want those Nomis. Not at all.

 **Leyknar:** Thanks for the review. Well, the trip certainly has potential… Potential to both improve or destroy the relationship. Especially with Mari around. Guess Mio will have to be smart and careful about it. Especially since it's Keima.

 **Okay, now let's not delay any longer – go on with the chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

"And that's how things are at the moment" Mio said and then looked down at the table. She knew her face was all red. She remained like that for full ten seconds to calm herself down. Then she looked up, hoping that the situation has changed.

Nope.

Urara and Tsukiyo were still looking at her with wide eyes and their mouths open.

The three of them were currently in the Shiratori household, because Urara decided to organize a girls-only sleepover, something that Mio had done only twice in her life. Of course, it was done with Urara and Yui back then and Mio could still remember that one time she scared the shit out of Yui using an old sheet and a flashlight, pretending she was a ghost.

Aah… good times...

Well, it was kinda similar now, only she was seventeen instead of ten and there was Tsukiyo instead of Yui and the moon-lover certainly wasn't scared shitless… Even if her wide eyes were similar to Yui's seven years ago.

And Yui was screaming back then while Tsukiyo and Urara offered only complete silence.

"Umm… you can speak now, you know?" Mio told both of them, feeling a weird mix of annoyance and embarrassment.

Urara was first to go back to her senses.

"You and Keima are going out?" she echoed Mio's words from a moment ago. Mio just nodded. "Going out as in romantic relationship?"

"Yeah" Mio replied. "Kinda."

"Like… boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Yes, he's my boyfriend and I'm his girlfriend!" Mio shouted in exasperation. Why was Urara so surprised about this? Did she not believe in her after all?

Urara acted as if Mio's didn't raise her voice at all, while Tsukiyo resumed sipping her tea.

"Well, it's not just that" she said when she put her cup down again. When Mio sent her a questioning look the moon-lover continued. "There's still the thing with the trip to the north. And I have the feeling you're not telling us everything. Don't worry about it though" she said when Mio opened her mouth. "Being taciturn is not a bad thing" she paused for a moment. "Still, I won't hide that this is surprising news. I guess congratulations are in order."

"Thanks" Mio replied, not sure if she have been complimented or not. But Tsukiyo only nodded. Considering it was Tsukiyo, she said a lot actually.

The moment the moon-lover went quiet, Urara spoke. Or rather shouted.

"ARGH!" the girl grabber her head with her hands. "How did this happen?"

"What are you talking about?" Mio asked, feeling she wouldn't like the answer.

"About you getting a boyfriend! What else?" Urara said.

"What? You said it as if you were surprised!" Mio was close to shouting herself. "I thought you'd be happy for me!"

"I _am_ happy for you!" Urara exclaimed. "Honest! It's just… I never expected for it to happen so fast! It had only been, what? Three months? And it's Keima! It happened way too early!" Urara struggled for a moment as if uncertain to continue. "I… I mean you managed to get a boyfriend before me..."

That was news to Mio.

"You've never had a boyfriend before?" Tsukiyo apparently thought the same.

"Umm… no…" Urara admitted. "It's weird, right?"

"In a way" Mio said with a grin. Her anger suddenly disappeared, replaced with satisfaction and something she hadn't felt in ages – superiority.

So she managed to one up Urara… the Urara Shiratori after all!

"How did you manage to remain single all this time is a mystery to me" Mio continued through her grin. "It's actually an achievement."

"I concur" Tsukiyo added taking a sip.

"Well, I wasn't all that interested in having a boyfriend when I was overseas" Urara said. "American boys were a little weird to me and I was weird to them. I mean, we got along just fine, but romance…" she made a face.

"Well, now you have all those Japanese boys around you and I bet they don't think your weird" Mio said, eyeing the other girl's body.

"They do think I'm kinda weird" Urara said and Mio though she meant her alien obsession and other stuff. "But a few of them approached me nonetheless."

"A few?" it was Tsukiyo who spoke now. "From what Shiori told me, every boy in your class has asked you out at least once."

Urara was too busy being red to see Mio spit out her tea all over her clothes.

"That's not true!" the heiress cried out. "Besides, most of them are idiots with testosterone issues!"

"Most of them? So it's not all of them" Mio noticed, wiping tea from her pants. "Right?"

"W-well… one or two of them seemed kinda nice. And a few outside of my class too… I don't think grandpa would let me date them though… even if I wanted" Urara mumbled out, before getting more serious. "But that's not the issue at hand!" she then pointed at Mio. "I'm yet to hold hands with a boy while you and Keima get all mushy, lovey-dovey and snog with each other" she finished, a tint of jealousy in her voice.

"We don't get mushy or lovey-dovey with each other!" Mio shouted, her face red. "And we don't snog! Do you really think Keima does that with me? We'd been together for over a week now, but we barely kissed and we haven't been on a real date yet!"

"Really?" Urara asked, but her voice was now more worried than jealous. "Well… I have a question though… I mean, don't take it the wrong way, but are you sure that… well…"

"That Keima is not using and manipulating you?" Tsukiyo finished. She looked calm, but her eyes were fixed on Mio and the girl could sense seeds of fury beneath those blue orbs, ready to grow and explode with enough provocation.

Mio had thought about this issue before.

"I don't think so" she shook her head. "I mean, considering it's Keima I think it's going well" she said. "It's just that I…"

"Want more" Urara finished for her. Mio didn't confirm. Or deny. "Well, if you want my advice…"

"Can we not talk about this right now?" Mio pleaded. "I want to relax now. I just wanted you to know about this."

"Well, we appreciate you telling us" Tsukiyo said. "But if you wanted to relax then you're lucky Yui isn't here."

"Is it really lucky though?" Urara mused. "She said she was busy. For all we know she might be getting 'busy' with Keima."

Mio had a lot of things throughout her wealthy life and had developed a deep attachment to them, but she was still surprised by the feeling of possessiveness she suddenly felt towards Keima.

"After my dead body" she said.

"Well, now that the two of you are actually an item, you don't need to hide anymore" Urara noticed. "You can just approach Yui directly and tell her to back off. Without violence, of course. And politely, if possible" she paused for a moment. "By the way, does Yui know?"

"I don't know" Mio replied truthfully. "If she does then she didn't learn it from me."

After that it was quiet for a while. Urara just grabbed leftover snacks from the table and started eating in quiet. Mio on the other hand was thinking, now that she was reminded of one of her current worries – whether to tell Yui or not. Well, she knew she had to tell her soon, but she was just… a little afraid to do it.

"It's gotten really dark now" Tsukiyo noticed finally, looking outside the window, a hint of excitement in her voice. "Can we go to the observatory now?"

Mio chuckled at Tsukiyo's priorities. Well, at least moon-gazing obsession was a little less weird than searching for aliens or penchant for sandwiches.

And with the spring yet to arrive, Mio definitely preferred heated observatory than cold windy school rooftop.

(* * *)

The next day quickly came and Mio, after a good night sleep, felt considerably better, although some feeling of anxiousness remained. She couldn't help but feel that Urara was right.

Yeah, it was a girls-only sleepover, but still, many boyfriends would text their girlfriends if only to check on them. And if they didn't, their girlfriends would text them for one of those "exchange meaningless messages when you're supposed to sleep" things.

Yet, Mio's cellphone remained silent the entire day and night.

The breakfast was largely uneventful and after that Tsukiyo went home. Mio originally planned to leave quickly as well, but now she hesitated.

Should she really just leave? Or should she use that opportunity to talk with Urara? After all, the Shiratori heiress was the most logical option. Tsukiyo was a relatively new friend to her. And Yui was her rival. This meant that the only person Mio could freely talk about all this was Urara.

Then again, she could guess what Urara's advice would be, so she wasn't certain she should really do this. However, the decision was made for her, as Urara was the one to start the conversation.

And Mio quickly realized that Urara's advice was exactly what Mio had thought it would be.

"Keima is a tsundere!" Urara reminded Miowhen the two of them were in the former's room. "And the two of you will be forced to spend time witch each other for a full week! No Yui. No part-time job. And nowhere for Keima to go! This is your chance! A golden opportunity!" she exclaimed, a flame of determination in her eyes. "You need to use this trip and go on the offensive! Exploit Keima's weakness and unleash a fierce barrage of attacks upon him" she finished, finger pointing at Mio like a general ordering a private around.

If Urara expected Mio to react enthusiastically and thank her on the spot then she was disappointed as the blond girl only bit her lip and stayed quiet.

"Umm… is someth-"

"I'm not going to do that" Mio said finally and when she saw Urara's questioning look she added. "I'm not going to go on the offensive."

"But… why?"

Mio bit her lip again. She knew Urara had her best interest in mind but she still wasn't sure if she should tell her. Then again, if she couldn't tell Urara then who? And it won't be as if she will tell her everything. Yes, a little honesty was in order.

"It's a part of my strategy" she admitted, quietly.

"Do explain" Urara said just as quiet.

Mio sighed.

"Look, I'm not good at explaining such things, but I'll try to keep it simple, so pay attention" she said. "You remember the interactions between Keima and Takahara?"

"Ayumi-san? What does she have to do with this?" Urara asked and frowned. "You're afraid she'll-"

"No! Not that" Mio said with a hint of exasperation. "I mean, you remember what Keima said? The basic of love in games? The relationship depends on the number of events. And he and Takahara had plenty of encounters!"

"But they're not together, you know?" Urara noticed.

"Exactly!" Mio smiled a little. "Do you know why is that?"

"Umm… Keima wasn't interested?"

"Well, he wasn't. And why would he be?" Mio asked. "After all Takahara insulted him, strangled him, kicked him, called him names and made a lot of a mess" Mio paused searching for words. "I mean she had a lot of events that left a rather bad impression."

"But bad impression can change into a good one" Urara reminded her with a hint of hope.

"Yes. And that means Takahara had a lot of potential, but that's because she had means to actually realize that potential."

"What means?"

"Well, she's popular, cheerful, honest, hard-working, star of the track and field team" Mio counted using her fingers. "And, most important of all, she's really hot."

"That has nothing to do with this!" Urara exclaimed. "Besides, you're exaggerating! It's not like-huh? What are you?"

"Shut up!" Mio shot back, dragging the other girl by hand to the nearest mirror. "Look!"

"I know how you look, Mio" Urara said patiently, as if she were lecturing a child.

"Not me!" Mio replied with far less patience. "Look at yourself!"

"What do you-"

"Just _look_ at yourself" Mio repeated, getting behind her. "Do you see what I see? Pretty face. Long, flowing hair. Nice legs. Perfect figure. Big boobs. And-"

"Say something about my butt and I will hit you" Urara said, her face red, but it wasn't entirely from anger.

"Tell me, how many guys have you had to reject since you hit puberty?" Mio asked.

"There weren't _that_ many" Urara replied, but she sounded hesitant.

"Count the number that you know" Mio said. "And then multiply it by ten."

"Why?"

"Cause for every guy you know he's after you there's 9 more that you don't know about."

"B-but"

"Name one guy in your class who wouldn't want to get into your pants!" Mio said and grinned when Urara was quiet. "Hoo? So you're not so naive as you seem."

"What do you mean naive?" Urara huffed, exasperated. "It's just the way most guys ourage are. But Keima isn't like that!" then she thought of something. "And you have a pretty face too when-"

"When I don't glare and snark at people, right?" Mio asked.

"That's not what-"

"Don't worry, I know I'm like that" Mio said. "My own mother was surprised I'm even friends with you after all this time."

"Still, looks don't matter that much!" Urara said. "Your point is still invalid."

"I haven't yet made a point" Mio told her. "As I said, Takahara had a lot of, well... flags with Keima, but she kinda messed up many of them. Bad impression thing.I can't make that mistake."

"Then make a good impression!" Urara suggested as if it were obvious.

"I can't" Mio said. "I told you. I don't have really much going for me. I'm not that pretty overall. I'm not nice and caring… most of the time anyway. And I'm not even rich anymore."

"It's not about being rich!"

"It's certainly not about being poor either" Mio countered. "But my point is: I'm not even remotely good at making good impression. I can't advance with that."

"Don't lie to me like that!" Urara shouted, now actually angry. "You and Keima are going out with each other! That is a success and it's all thanks to your own skill!"

"Wrong!" Mio shouted back, her eyes narrowed. "It was just luck! Yes, luck!" she added when Urara was opening her mouth to say something. "The only reason I got close to him was because I bumped into him while… following him. It all started with a secret and me being a stalker. I can't tell you what this secret was, but that's what got us closer. It was sheer luck. And going out? It's only because Keima gave me a chance. He's not overly enthusiastic about it. He doesn't exactly like me back. He agreed because… well… it's kinda a secret too."

"Wait, what secret?" Urara asked, now looking completely different kind of angry. "So he's using you?"

"No…we just decided to… give a try" Mio said, her voice softer as she looked downward, realizing how lame she sounded. "Yes, I'm in love with Keima, but I don't think I really love him in that way yet. I'm fine with things like that for a while. It's not like I'm in a hurry or anything."

Urara stayed quiet, either being sympathetic or just searching for words, her eyes filled with worry.

"Anyway" Mio resumed after a longer moment. "I can't afford making bad impressions, especially now when I got this far. And I'm not really capable of making good impressions on my own. I knew it from the very beginning. Thus, I decided on this strategy from the start. If a really good opportunity comes by then I'll try to make those little steps. The fact that it went so well so far is the result of dumb luck and what I originally thought were my mistakes."

She sighed.

"What I mean is… I don't want to be seen as annoying snotty girl that gets in the way. Of course, I will throw a jibe once in a while, but aside from that I won't force myself. If Keima wants to play his games, then I'll let him. He has the right to have his hobby and his space. And I like his determination anyway. I won't pester him, I won't by a pushy pest."

"So that's why!" Urara exclaimed suddenly, making Mio jump. "That's why you didn't want to act aggressive like Yui!"

"Y-yeah…" Mio admitted. "I wanted to look… different then her. So I decided to be Keima's shadow. I'll be close to him, but never so close as to disturb him. I'll let him get used to me. One step at at time. We're officially together now, so I don't need to hurry or worry about other girls… much" she added. "Slow and steady wins the race, right? And love… love will come with time."

Hopefully, she added in mind.

"Well, I do understand where you're coming from" Urara said after a moment. "And I'm not forcing you to think otherwise... But you can't just stay quiet like that. You need to be yourself! You can't project a false image like that!"

"It's not exactly false" Mio defended. "I'm just being considerate. I'm not forcing it."

"Aren't you now?" Urara asked, obviously suspicious, but then she sighed. "Okay, I won't try to persuade you after today or try to play matchmaker for you two."

"Were you planning to play matchmaker for us?" Mio asked.

Urara completely ignored that question. "However" she said. "I still think you have a lot of good points you could show Keima. Don't be his shadow on the floor where he doesn't even look. Be a partner, a helpful arm. A soul mate."

"That's easy for you to say" Mio noticed.

Urara shook her head. "I think you're deluding yourself. You guys are dating, so you should do things couples do. Hold hands. Go on dates. Kiss. And if you wanted me to believe you're fine without it, then your face says otherwise."

Mio glared at her, unable to stop herself from imagining several scenarios starring herself and Keima.

"All right, all right, I'll try" she agreed. "Partner. Helpful arm. But nothing too aggressive."

Urara nodded and smiled before standing. "This entire talk made made me all tense" she said. "How about we take a nice long relaxing bath?"

Mio smiled. "I'll take you upon that offer."

(* * *)

The warm bath indeed helped her relax and all it all it was quite a pleasant morning. But Mio finally had to leave and head forwork. And though inside of the Shiratori household was warm and cozy, the outside was vastly different. The spring was slowly approaching, but winter wasn't going to give up easily. The snowfall turned into sleet and the white snow on the street was mostly replaced with gray and brown puddles of mud – 'the ugliest part of the year' as Tsukiyo liked to call it. And the streets felt even more gloomy and less lively than the half-abandoned house Mio had just left.

But Mio paid little attention to that, her thoughts concentrated on her earlier conversation with Urara. The other girl did have a point – in her quest to not make any bad impressions Mio avoided any open demands to do couple-like things, but aside from their "real life deal" she had never really considered helping Keimain daily things.

What could she do for him anyway? Carry his bags with games? Pfft... as if.

Finally, she arrived at the Café Grandpa, although the long walk tired her a bit. It couldn't be helped though – stupid Morita was busy and couldn't pick her up this time.

"Good day, Mio-chan!" Mari greeted her cheerfully from behind the counter. "I decided to make those new cakes I've told you about before" she pointed to the warm pastry on the counter. "And I need a sampler."

Mio wasn't surprised – it wasn't first time it happened. It seemed that her status in the Katsuragi family had been upgraded permanently after the day she and Keima became an item. In short: her relations with Mari didn't resemble employer-employee relations at all.

It was more like mother-daughter kind of relations. In particular, Mari seemed to had taken a vow to make sure Mio wasn't "undernourished" in any way, so Mio had been already asked to try new café food several times and free to eat whatever other food in the store she Mari even asked her opinion when she was trying to replicate Keima's coffee (with moderate success).

And, of course, Mio was prohibited from paying for anything she consumed no matter whether before, at or after work. She was actually for the first time in ages getting worried about her weight. Still, being at the age ofseventeen she was dead certain the excess calories won't make her any taller…

...or go to her chest.

On the other hand, she needed to have good relations with Keima's mother, so she nodded, agreeing to sample the cake. It was actually looking nice.

"Perfect" Mari said. "Hold out your hands."

Mio did as she was told and then Mari put entire tray full of cake slices in her hands complete with two forks.

"What am I supposed to do with all this?" Mio asked.

"Get Keima to try this" Mari replied.

"Wha-what?" Mio managed, but Mari was already pushing her towards the other part of the house. "But what about my work?"

"Don't worry, we'll be fine for half an hour without you!" Mari told her. "Besides, I bet you want to spend some time alone with Keima. Just remember the rules, all right?" she asked, but before Mio registered what the orange-haired woman was implying she heard "Have fun!" and she was alone in front of the stairs to the second floor.

She stayed there for a moment. On one hand she was a bit anxious about going to Keima's room, especially since this would kinda feel as if she was his personal maid or something.

On the other hand, this could be a perfect chance. She was getting Keima food, proving she cared for him. Wasn't this exactly what Urara meant? And all Mio needed to do was swallow her pride and be nice for five minutes. It wouldn't be lying or pretending. She _was_ capable of being nice.

And it would certainly be worth it.

She slowly ascended the stairs and quickly, too quickly, found herself in front of Keima's room. She took a deep breath and then knocked on the door, but there was no reaction. She knocked a little louder, but with similar result. No "come in", no "go away".

Nothing.

"Did he die in there or something?" she mumbled out loud, hand on the doorknob.

"Or maybe he's just not there?" a voice behind her announced.

Mio was so startled that she jumped in place and almost dropped her tray with food. She turned around and she saw Keima standing behind her, a substantial pile of games on his hands. He must've been in his "gaming library" room.

"Don't scare me like that!" Mio berated him, before biting her tongue. He did nothing wrong and here she was lashing out at him.

And she was supposed to be nice, damn it!

"Sorry" Keima said, before noticing that he wasn't the only one carrying something. "What's this?"

"Oh, this?" Mio smiled, looking at the cake. "That is what we from the real call 'food'. You should try it sometimes."

"Let me guess. Mom's new addition to the café menu?" he asked.

"Apparently" Mio answered. "So… can I come in?" she asked, nervously shifting from one foot to the other.

Keima nodded, opening the door and letting her in. His room looked as gloomy as Mio remembered it. The windows were blocked and it would've been pretty dark if it wasn't for the light emanating from six big monitors.

Mio put the tray on the desk and considered something for a moment, before she decided to ask. Nicely.

"I know that you do it because of your games" she started, trying to sound calm and not scolding and waiting for him to make eye contact. "But didn't you think about… umm… letting more of the light in?"

She expected to be told off. She expected a glare. At the very least she expected to be ignored, but Keima just walked to the window and raised the curtain to the top. The room was immediately bathed with the scanty March sunlight. Now one could see that, putting the monitors aside, Keima's room wasn't really that much unusual. Plain and simple? not unusual. Even the shelves with games could be mistaken for bookcases.

As if that wasn't weird enough, Keima didn't go back to his games. Instead he shifted his gaming chair closer to the desk.

"Aren't you going to sit down?" he asked.

Mio blinked, but she started walking and sat down on his other chair. She briefly wondered why did Keima need another chair by his desk. Then again, since when did he have a desk at all?

"So how's this cake I have to try?" Keima's question brought Mio out of her reverie. She blushed.

"Umm… I don't know… I haven't tried it yet" she admitted and then quickly grabbed one of the forks and started eating. The cake was indeed delicious, but that didn't stop Mio from thinking.

What was with Keima? She wasn't _that_ nice to provoke such a reaction from him. Actually, she kinda intruded on him. So why was he being so considerate?

"Well?" Keima asked as if he was suddenly interested in cakes.

"Umm… it's good" Mio replied while trying to get her brain to work. "I mean, your mother's a really good cook and it isn't even that sweet, so you should be fine.

Keima nodded and grabbed his own fork. "Still" he said. "I hope you plan to eat at least half of it."

"I'll see what I can do" Mio replied. Her suspicion about her possible weight gain was slowly turning into certainly. Well… she had one idea how she could lose that excess weight though…

Keima nodded again and they started eating in silence. The atmosphere was weird, especially since Keima kept looking at her. His gaze looked normal enough, but it felt anything but. Was he angry she was here?

"Okay, I'm done" Mio finally said, putting away her fork. "I'm stuffed."

To her mild amusement, Keima reacted with more than mild panic when he saw how much of the cake still remained.

"Don't worry" she told him. "I'll take the leftovers home with me."

Keima calmed down at this. Now that they weren't busy with food, Mio felt apprehension again. What to do now? Once more she was alone with her boyfriend. Boyfriend – that single word still scared her to some extent and "girlfriend" scared her just as much if not more.

I mean, she wanted to be a little closer with Keima and she wouldn't admit it out loud, but her lips did tingle at the very thought of kissing. But all of that were _her_ desires. What about his? What he wanted to do with her? Did he want anything? Did he want her to leave?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden change in lighting. She looked around and saw that Keima monitors went into power-saving mode. Keima looked at them and Mio could see a glint of longing in his eyes. By the time he looked back at her she already made her decision.

She won't be a possessive and invasive. She won't force him to abandon his games and pay attention to her. She won't get jealous over his stupid, damsel-in-distress, nonexistent, _perfect_ game heroines. No, she will be a considerate girlfriend, even if it would leave her longing for him. She survived a year of mourning after her dear father, so this was nothing.

"Don't worry about me" she said when Keima was opening his mouth. "I'll have to go down and help in the café soon anyway. Go ahead and play. I'm fine watching."

Keima acted as if she didn't say anything – he didn't speak or widen his eyes. He was just looking at her with his regular attentive gaze.

"If you say so" he said finally, stood up and dragged his chair away. Mio give him what she hoped was a warm smile, but when he turned around she had to fight the urge to ram her head against the desk.

She was so pathetic. She was so afraid of invading his space that she couldn't ask him on a date or even ask him to cuddle even if for a bit…

"Are you all right?" she heard him ask. "You look as if your stomach hurts."

Mio smiled apologetically. "Ah, maybe I just ate too much" she said while waving him off.

"You don't have to eat everything my mothers asks you to, you know?" he said as he turned his monitors back on. "She loves you anyway."

Mio suddenly regretted persuading Keima to lift the curtains – if she hadn't she would be able to hide her blush.

She knew she had lost any chance to do couple things for today and she should be heading down and attend her job, but some magnetic force compelled her to do something else. Before she knew it, she grabbed her chair and placed it next to Keima's.

Soon she was watching him. He was playing two games at once, but Mio was still surprised she could follow the text appearing and disappearing as he was clicking through them. Perhaps he slowed down specially for her. Was this another sign of him making a compromise? Accommodating for her?

Watching his games were not as boring as she expected, but it was still far less exciting than watching Keima himself. His face was illuminated by the artificial and blinking light form the screen, but it didn't made him look more nerdy.

Quite the opposite – there was something oddly attractive about him right now. His brow was furrowed in concentration, his eyes were moving back and forth and his hands were moving quickly and with purpose. Right now Mio could understand why he was called a god. He seemed like both immovable object, unaffected by any distraction of the real, and unstoppable force, conquering all heroines no matter the route. At this moment he was letting loose all of his potential that could make him succeed at anything in real world – acting, research, business or love – if he only wanted to.

"Are you all right?" she heard him speak again and only after a moment she realized he was talking to her and she blushed. He had caught her staring at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine" she replied, but then she decided to try something. "Actually, I have been meaning to ask you something..."

"Then ask" Keima said simply.

"This entire trip thing" she said. "Well… what do you think about it? About going on a trip like this?"

Keima shrugged. "I guess it's a good opportunity to get to know the real" he said. "And it's not like I won't be able to play games, so it's not that much of a difference to me."

Mio thought that he was done, so she was a bit surprised when she heard him ask. "Why?"

She bit her lip at that. She could go with "no reason" line, but he might see through it. And knowing his honest opinion would help her 'don't get in his way' strategy.

"Well, what about me going on that trip?" she asked.

"It was mom's idea, so you don't have to feel bad about it..."

"I'm not talking about me or your mother. I'm asking what _you_ think about it" she clarified.

"Think about what?" Keima asked, puzzled.

"About the two of us… ugh...going together on a trip like that" she managed through her blush.

He frowned a bit."You're concerned about going with my family?"

Mio shook her head. "I mean, it is a bit strange, but no, that's not what I'm asking about."

Keima's frown deepened. "You don't want to go on a trip with me?"

"No!" she shouted, before calming down instantly. "I would really like to go on this trip with you… I do feel bad for using your money like that though."

"I told you not to worry about that" Keima reminded her.

"Never mind that" Mio said. "What I mean to ask is: do you _want_ to go with _me_ on that trip?"

It was quiet for a moment and if Keima was thinking about the answer then it didn't show.

"Yes" he replied finally.

Mio didn't feel elated however.

"You're just doing it for me" she stated, not asked. "For me to have a chance to relax and all that!"

She didn't know why did it make her angry. Wasn't this what she wanted? For Keima to obey her and satisfy her every whim? Then again, was he her boyfriend or servant?

"You're just self-sacrificing yourself for me!" she accused.

"So what?" Keima asked. "You asked ifI wantedto go with you and my answer is: yes I want to go with you. _Why_ I want to do it is besides the point" he paused for a moment. "Did you think I didn't want to go with you?"

It was Keima who was indirectly accusing her now and she squirmed a bit.

"Well, you are not in love with me, so…" she answered lamely.

Keima didn't deny, but he continued to eye her suspiciously.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked finally, his voice more serious than before.

Mio looked back at him, the eye of her mind illuminating a big red "FLAG!" neon. This was it.

Another moment of choice.

She could reply "Yes, I love you!" but she knew it would be a stretch and shooting herself in a foot. Should she reply with "Yes, I want to get closer to you! I want to kiss you!"? It would certainly be true… but it was also the aggressive route she dreaded. It could go well, but it could also shatter her chances forever.

No… she was supposed to go either "neutral" route or a "partner" route… the way of small steps. "Predator" route was out of the question.

"Nothing in particular" she said, trying for a calm and confident expression. His eyes were still boring into hers and Mio could immediately recognize the look. He had it a few minutes earlier when he was trying to decipher a heroine or calculate a route for a game. He was the unstoppable force again and it made her falter. "It's… just that I'm kinda looking forward to it."

"I see" Keima said slowly, as if waiting for her to say more, but then he spoke again. "If you still feel I'm sacrificing myself, then how about we make a trade?"

"A trade?" she repeated, confused.

"An exchange of favors. I'll do something for you, so you'll do something for me" he clarified.

"Like what?" Mio asked, unsure. Yes, she desperately wanted to be useful to him, but she wasn't too eager to carry his game bags.

Ugh… and she had thought _he_ was the servant here.

"You could protect me from Yui."

"Yes, of cou-WAIT WHAT!?" she hollered, anger flaring, but for a completely different reason. "What did she do now!?"

"Nothing much, but she tried. I wanted to get rid of her, so" Keima said slowly, sinking a little in his chair. "So I kinda told her about us."

"Yui knows?" Mio repeated, more to herself than to Keima.

"Yes."

"And she didn't try to… I don't know kidnap you or something?" Mio wondered aloud.

"Well, I guess she'll try to do that by the third stage" Keima replied and seeing that Mio didn't understood he explained. "It's like five stages of grief. And Yui's currently at the first one: denial."

Mio could imagine Yui shaking her head and telling herself Keima and Mio couldn't be together. Surprisingly, she didn't feel bad for Yui. The drummer was a strong girl, she will be fine in the end. And now Mio managed to officially one up not only Urara, but Yui as well!

Now if she only managed to one up Tsukiyo…

"Thus, I would really appreciate it if you could help me with her" Keima finished his request.

Mio mulled it over. Her greedy part wanted to exploit the situation and ask for additional compensation and wouldn't mind for Keima to start "compensating" her right here, right now. Another part, however, reminded her that it was her expected duty as his girlfriend to keep other girls at bay, so pushing her luck wasn't very smart.

"All right, you have a deal" she told him, allowing herself to grin.

Keima nodded and then returned to his game, but visibly less tense. Mio felt herself relax as well. It wasn't the best result, but she managed to further establish her position as Keima's girlfriend and, as surprising as it was, it made her proud.

She felt so bold that she actually moved towards Keima and soon was leaning over him while watching him play, like some parody of a movie date. As soon as she thought about it, Keima shifted and placed one of his hands around her arms and started to stroke her softly. Mio wanted to freak out, but for some reason she didn't. She just stayed like that, trying to ignore the touch of his hand and focus on his game instead. But it was becoming more and more difficult. Her eyelids suddenly felt heavy and before she knew what was happening she fell asleep on Keima's shoulder.

(* * *)

When she woke up (and how the hell did she fall asleep? She wasn't even tired! Was Keima really a god or something?!)it was already late and café was closed. Mari announced that Mio will need to come tomorrow and work twice as long to make up for it, but she wasn't looking angry at all. Actually, she leaned over Mio to whisper "good job", obviously misunderstanding… a bit.

The next day Mio was pretty busy. She had to deal with Yui (who quickly moved from "denial" stage into "frustration") at school and had to work double-shift in the afternoon (which pretty much equaled to full time work).

After that there was the day that marked the end of her second year of high school. There was the ceremony, but any efforts of Mio to have some alone time with Keima were busted when several girls started to hang around Keima, wanting to take group or private picture with him (Mio's eyebrow twitched at that). Many students were surprised seeing Keima in company of multiple girls and started whispering things (how dare they?). And Yui was slowly showing signs of getting past the second stage (Mio clenched her fists at that). Moreover, Mari had something to do in the city and offered additional payment if Mio did a double-shift again. And the girl gave in to the temptation of bonus money.

The day after that, was the first day of the spring holiday and itwas mostly spent buying, packing (and Mio was surprised as to how much she actually had to pack) and avoiding her mother and her "vacation dating advice" and "vacation dating rules" speeches.

And then at dawn, after three days of barely seeing Keima, Mio was waiting nervously in her apartment, her bags ready when she heard the sound of Katsuragi's family car pulling over outside.

The spring holiday have begun.

 **(* * *)**

 **The good news? I figured how to make the trip be more meaningful.**

 **Bad news? We're still yet to start the whole trip thing! And I planned to be one chapter ahead of the posting... yet the real proves just as Keima described it.**

 **Anyway, despite the fact that the "pre-trip" part was not supposed to be this large, it's not a filler. Important things happen in here. The most important of them is the fact that Mio explains her strategy. Strategy she had used all along.**

 **Namely, Mio is bad at making good impressions (or she believes so)... thus she decided to at least not make bad impressions and be more of a shadow... or partner (following Urara's advice). This allows Mio to "blend" into Keima's life without being labeled as "obstacle", "hindrance" and "that pesky real". This is Mio's "advantage" compared to girl like Ayumi (a lot of kicking damage) or Yui (imposing on people)...**

 **...actually, if you go back to earlier chapters of MioNomi, you'll find Mio referring to this "advantage" before. So, basically, it was planned before the first chapter was posted. I just didn't explain it until now. I just hope it's not too confusing.  
**

 **However, with all that being said, this strategy of Mio is not perfect, as it makes it difficult for her to move forward and the development here depends quite a bit on Keima (and Mari). You may also come to the conclusion that Mio is running in circles – despite all developments she's still insecure and unsure where she stands. And she can't get Keima to act like a couple with her. She's worried that he might indeed start to notice real girls thanks to their "secret agreement real-world training"... but he won't be able to see HER as a girl worth conquering. In a way, Mio's effort might make it easier for Keima to notice Yui. Which is dangerous.**

 **On the other hand, it's hard to deny the fact that Mio is progressing much quicker than Ayumi.**

 **So is this strategy of hers good or bad? Should she talk more? Suggest more? Demand more? Or should she stay quiet, endure and get closer to him tiny little bit by** ** **tiny little bit?** You be the judge. At least for now.**

 **I can also promise that the next chapter will be focusing on the trip. There's just a lot to write (or at least a lot to think of and design), so I doubt it'll be posted before 20th of October. Just be patient with me.  
**

 **As a side note, you've probably noticed by now, but I like to make innuendos towards Urara, towards her... attributes and her unawareness of those. I just don't know why and why with her. I just can't stop myself.**

 **Also sorry for the crappy chapter title.**

 **And there's one more thing that I would like to clarify, but I can't do it without spoiling the further chapters, so I'll keep quiet for now. Maybe in two chapters or so :P**

 **As a final note, I kindly ask you to continue your support. Reviews, opinion and constructive criticism are all welcome. The same goes for favs and follows (** **in the case you haven't done it already).  
**

 **Okay, that's it folks!**

 **See you next time!**


	14. Flag 54: The trip begins

**Hello, everyone! I'm back!**

 **I'm sorry it took this long, but first, life got in the way. Second, this chapter grew ridiculously long and it was kinda made from the back and the middle. In the end it had over 15 000 words and I still want to add something at the end, so I ultimately decided to split it into two separate chapters.**

 **Bad thing? I'm not sure the cutting point was that good.**

 **Good thing? The other part is almost ready, so expect it to appear in a few days. I hope it will be up by Friday.**

 **Going back to the matter at hand, this chapter was built bit by bit from various parts, especially since I want use this trip to cross a few ideas out of my list...**

 **...anyway I hope this chapter will prove consistent with itself and with the one that'll come after it. I did what I could.**

 **As usual, I want to thank everyone who favorited, followed and reviewed this story. I'm especially thankful for the steady flow of reviews per chapters. You guys are great. Here are the replies:**

 **NotAnAuthor504:** Well, there go the "missing" grammar mistakes. Though honestly, half of them is words gluing together for some reason when I upload them to the site. I didn't have this problem with my old computer. Anyway, thanks for pointing them out. :) And Urara is not a "conscious" womanizer… she just makes head turn. A lot. Also, I'm glad you like where this is going… or where you think this is going :P. *in Clint Eastwood voice* It's good to know I make your day. P.S. I usually pay considerable attention to avoid which/with/witch and similar typos, but it's true I do less corrections for the chapters lately.

 **Sasori69:** About the happy ending thing… god only knows the answer :P. Seriously though… reality-wise you might be right, but the point is to have a fic for each KeimaxHeroine pairing, so bad endings seem extremely unlikely. However, I kinda dedicated a small part of the chapter to your bad ending idea, so thank you for the inspiration. :)

 **Guest (Sir sleeps-a-lot):** Yeah, it sure was, but don't beat yourself over that :). Unfortunately, I don't exactly know where I want to go xD. Yeah, Mio's rubbing off on Keima… kinda. I like the hunter analogy… it's exactly like that. I believe I answered the "love question" on another occasion, but I meant "crush/taking" an "caring/giving" types of love. More or less. P.S. "Teach us, Kami-sama" huh? :P

 **Leyknar:** Hopefully, good things come to those who wait. ;)

 **ZelgadisGW:** About Mio's strategy. Well, Mio believes in it. Whether she's right or wrong is yet to be seen. At least the trip is here, huh? :P

 **MasterZen:** Thank you. :) I'm also glad you liked the pokemake(s). Shame I don't have time to do them lately…

 **Animeloverq8:** Funny and romantic? We'll see about that ;). I guess you'll have to read the chapter to find out. :P

 **Shawn Raven:** Well, Urara is not 100% naive. Only 90% or so. And indeed she's never been in a relationship… but that doesn't mean her advice is bad. Or good. :P I've no idea about normal couples either. Yes, Keima-Mio duo could be truly fearsome as they are two snarky and clear-minded individuals with good acting skills. As for Yui… at the time of writing thus reply I have no idea when and if she'll pop up in this story xD. Unfortunately, the chappie came late (T_T).

 **That's it for now.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

 **(* * *)**

Mio found herself in Katsuragi's family car, heading to the airport. Eri was seating in the front, while Mio and Keima were seating in the back. Mari kept glancing at them through the rear-view mirror from time to time as if afraid or expecting for the two teens to do something.

Hmpf. As if.

Keima was playing his games and Mio was certain his bag for this trip consisted mostly of spare batteries, while the blonde kept looking out of the window. Of course, a car wasn't a motorbike, but Mari definitely was a different type of driver than Morita. Mio wasn't so surprised about Keima's car sickness anymore.

Soon they arrived at the airport and after another hour and half they were already in the air.

Eri was sitting by the window and was the most excited despite the fact she had the most experience about flying. Mari was sitting next to her and was looking a little bizarre with a volume of a manga in hands. Keima was sitting near the middle of the plane and wasn't looking so good.

"Are you all right?" Mio, who was sitting between the mother and the son asked.

"Do I look all right?" Keima asked back, but then continued. "Don't worry, I'll be... fine when we reach the cruising altitude."

Mio bit her lip. She noticed that Mari didn't react at all, obviously intending to let Mio interact with Keima as much as possible. It was kinda scary.

Soon Keima calmed down a little, but he didn't play his games, apparently planning to sleep through the journey. Mio on the other hand wasn't sleepy at all. And was becoming increasingly bored. She briefly considered asking Mari for one of her mangas, but then she decided on something else.

"Mind if I borrow it?" she asked Keima, pointing to his PFP. Mari made a strange motion. Keima didn't notice it, his attention on Mio as if he saw her for the first time in his life.

"Why?" he asked, tone full of surprise and suspicion.

"Cause I'm bored" she replied stretching out her hand to him. "Are you worried I'm going to destroy it or throw it out of the window?"

Keima didn't answer, handing her his PFP instead.

"Thanks" she told him.

"You know how to use it" Keima noticed, watching her.

"Umm… I saw you use it before, so I have it in my memories" Mio replied, hoping that the hidden meaning would be obvious to Keima, while to Mari it would seem harmless.

Of course, Mio knew next to nothing about galge and she considered them boring at best, but they sure beat just sitting there. So she started the game and soon after that she triggered the Meet Cute event for her player character. Mio furrowed her brow as she watched the heroine being introduced. She had long black hair and she was quite well-endowed.

Mio had to stifle a snort at that. What does Keima see in those 2D girls? He can't even touch them! And Tsukiyo was right – those 2D girls were just drawings. But Mio was different. She was real, not some fictional character from a harem manga!

Minutes flew by. Mari was on the third volume of her manga by now and Eri was still glued to the window, mesmerized by the outside world. Keima kept watching Mio play the entire time, although she wasn't sure if he was watching her or the game, but he didn't comment.

Suddenly the speakers came to life and the crew announced the plane nearing its destination.

"Thanks" Mio returned the console to Keima. "But I wasn't able to get anywhere anyway."

"You moved about without entering a set route" he replied, proving that he was indeed watching her play. "Besides, you can't expect to complete a conquest in such a short amount of time anyway."

"You can" she noticed, she didn't even know why.

"That's different" Keima said simply.

There was no time to talk further as they were preparing to land. They soon touched the ground and reached the airport through the boarding bridge. 10 minutes later the exited the airport.

Mio didn't really look outside windows during flight and the first thing she noticed now that she was outside was snow.

A lot of snow.

It seemed that March in Hokkaidō was more snowy than January around Maijima. More snowy and colder, Mio thought as she zipped up her winter jacket. Snow was nice and all, but does it have to be so damn cold?

Unfortunately, they had to wait for their bus, but they spent this time drinking hot chocolate in a nearby café and Keima was glad to be outside any moving vehicle and happily played his games, ignoring the cold and scolding gaze of his mother.

His attitude changed however when they boarded the bus and were going through the bumpy terrain, heading for the mountains. It was past midday when they arrived at their destination – the hotel at the outskirts of one of the tourist towns. And if there was one thing that was almost as common as snow then it was people. Groups. Families.

Couples.

Mio stole a glance at Keima. He tried to act nonchalant, but she somehow felt he noticed the crowds, but didn't want to show it. Was he treating it just like real-life lesson and painful at that? That was no good – he was supposed to have fun. He was supposed to have fun with her… And despite the entire "protect me from Yui" thing it still felt as if he was sacrificing for her. And that was even worse, she thought as they left the reception desk and were heading for their rooms.

The strange thing was that his worries spurred her own. This sounded obvious but really wasn't. Yes, ever since she had learned of everything she was kinda worried for him, but not to this extent and she objected to admit it, even to herself. But now it was different. She knew effort was required for progress, but she still yearned for some ideal solution, one that would help Keima get closer to the real, but also keep him happy. And somewhere along the way his worries became her worries. His motivation and happiness became hers.

In a way this was a great step forward – she originally wanted to become a stable presence, a permanent part of his life. Well, she partially succeeded. And he certainly was a tangible presence in her life by now.

Her musings were halted when Mari stopped in front of one of the doors.

"Here we are" she announced. "Rooms 308and 309."

Mio blinked. Until now she somehow assumed there'll be four rooms, but now it seemed naive – it was perfectly fine to think that Mr and Mrs Katsuragi would be in one room, while Keima and Eri, as siblings would end up in the second one.

But right now Keima's father was not here and Mio was supposed to be his replacement. So will she stay with Mari? It was logical, as Mari was the only adult here and responsible for Mio. Besides, the only other solution would be to place Keiichi with Keima and Mari with Eri, so in this case Mio would end up with…

No, she shook her head. No matter how much Mari wanted grandchildren, she would never go that far…

"Okay, I'm staying in this one" Mari said, standing in front of the room 308 and opening it.

Mio automatically followed, but Mari stopped her. "Aah… you'll be staying in the other room, Mio-chan."

"W-what?" Mio stuttered in disbelief. "W-wait! Don't tell me you expect me to stay in a room with h-him!" she managed, hand pointing at Keima and her face red in what she hoped looked like anger.

Mari looked at her for a moment and then burst out laughing.

"Of course I didn't expect you to do that" Mari said when she stopped laughing. "I planned for you girls to stay together, while I'll watch over my son and make sure he doesn't... misbehave."

This time Mio's embarrassment couldn't be mistaken for anything else. Maybe except humiliation. Keima didn't say anything acting as if Mio just didn't insult him or make an ass of herself. Eri on the other hand was elated.

"It reminds me of that one time when I was having sleepover with Ange at Meguu's place" she said ten minutes later when her and Mio were unpacking their things in their room.

"Ange? Meguu? Who's that?" Mio asked.

"Aah… they were my classmates in New Hell" Eri replied scratching her head.

Are you saying I remind you of a devil, Mio thought to herself while unpacking her bag. Since when did she own so many clothes anyway? And why the hell did she brought these with her? It's was freakin' winter! Very early spring at best. It's not like she'll be able to show off those clothes to Keima!

"So what will you do after we finish unpacking?" Eri asked.

"Didn't you say we were going skiing?" Mio asked back.

"Well, I'm going to" Eri started before pausing. "But I thought that you and nii-sama would like to… you know… spend some time alone."

Mio drew in her breath at that. Wandering the streets in the cold wasn't the greatest of things to do… but with Keima… Well, she wouldn't say no (though she might be a little picky before agreeing), but would Keima want to do that?

"Well, you can always just come with us" Eri continued. "It would certainly be fun."

Eri continued unpacking, while Mio contemplated the idea. She was getting more conflicted by the second, one question possessing her mind.

What should she do right now?

(* * *)

"Ugh! Not again!" a whiny voice echoed.

Mio turned around, facing the source of the voice and snickered. She moved, gliding through the snow using her skis and the stopped with a skid next to Eri who fell down for the umpteenth time.

"You were right" Mio told her, extending her hand. "It's certainly fun."

"That's not funny" Eri whined back, but accepted the help, letting Mio bring her back on her feet… or skis. "I just can't understand it… how can this be more difficult than flying?"

"No idea" Mio said moving away.

"Wait!" Eri half-shouted. "Can't you pull me for a moment or something?"

"Nope" Mio said, thought she was briefly remember of the one time she expected Morita to pull her when she was using roller-skates. And the one time Keima pulled her when she was sitting on a sledge some time ago. The thought make her feel warmer. "The way my father taught me to ski was by letting me do it myself" Mio added, waving to the other girl, who tried to catch her balance, before speeding away. She continued to look at Eri. And that proved to be a lucky mistake.

Wham!

"Ouch!" Mio exclaimed and fell down. It was a looong time since she last fell down while skiing and it felt exactly as she remembered it – her legs were attached to the rigid skis and were difficult to move, while the snow somehow managed to penetrate her clothing and was now assaulting her skin with icy sensation.

Mio spat out the snow and looked up to see what she collided with – it couldn't be a tree or a rock or she would be nursing a bump on her head.

"I'm beginning to think you're doing it on purpose" the other person said, while trying to pick himself up from the snow and offering her a hand. It was Keima.

Obviously.

And his words… they way he phrased it… I mean, in a game it would be a proper flag (assuming Keima considered her worth setting a flag). Was he annoyed by her?

That thought made her forget she was not wearing flats or even her platform shoes but skis and she lost her balance. Both her and Keima automatically reached out with their hands to prevent her from falling. In result not only did Mio fall into his chest but they also kinda hugged each other.

The next thing Mio registered was a telltale click of Mari's camera and the blonde turned her face only to see the orange-haired woman smiling at her. Eri was smiling too, seemingly unconcerned with her skiing skills at the moment. Mio could also hear some giggles, snickers and "aaws" that were definitely not coming from Keima's family.

She backed away immediately and attempted to leave, but the skis made it difficult.

"Are you all right?" Keima asked after her, skillfully navigating through the snow.

"Yeah, totally" Mio mouthed back in panic, before an idea struck her. "Race you!" she shouted.

And with this she started to slide down the slope. Keima blinked, perplexed. This was a strange flag. Did she want him to follow her for some purpose or was she trying to get away from him? His further thoughts were interrupted when he felt the stare of his mother on his back, clearly telling him to follow Mio.

His mother acting like a relationship advice bothered him, but it was still preferable to her lashing out.

So he followed Mio.

(* * *)

"You're pretty fast, you know?" he said when he found her at the bottom of the mid-advance slope.

"Flattery will get you nowhere" she replied, hoping it sounded like she was just playing with him. God, that actually sounded almost hostile, didn't it?

"It would be flattery if I was lying or you were this fast because of your stature."

"And you think the reason is different?" she asked, trying to convince herself he wasn't making fun of her height.

"Yes, your skills" he replied. "And that makes it a compliment."

"Aah… thank you… you're pretty good yourself" she stammered. "Let me guess. Winter-themed galges?"

"More or less" he admitted. "You know how it is. You press L, R, up, left, R and such."

She shook her head. "How you translate that to real-world feet movement is a mystery to everyone but you though. Anyway, I won the race."

"You had a head start" Keima noticed.

"Excuuuses" she replied in a sing-song voice.

"How about we go again?" he suggested.

"You're pretty competitive, aren't you?" she teased.

"Do they teach high-class people to answer a question with a question?" he teased back.

"Hypocrite" she accused jokingly. "Okay, fine, but only if you want."

"Let's go then" he replied.

Mio noticed he didn't explicitly state he wanted.

(* * *)

Mio forgot that they'd have to use a ski lift to get back to the start of the slope. Sitting with Keima close to each other like that could be a really nice experience. Maybe they could even talk like normal couples their age are supposed to. But the harsh wind got in the way, forcing them to cling to their clothes throughout the ride.

As for the second race, Mio was certain she had a chance. If her skiing wasn't so rusty that is. She tried harder, but at one point she almost lost her balance, so she gave up.

Keima wasn't that much faster than she was anyway. However, he was still much faster than she had anticipated. When did Keima put so much effort into things, aside from hunting loose souls? The answer was as obvious as it was perplexing.

While conquering game heroines.

(* * *)

When they were all done skiing (which took a while once Eri got the hang of it) it was already four in the afternoon and it was beginning to get dark, so they returned to their hotel.

During the dinner Eri was even more energetic than usual, obviously enjoying herself during this trip already. Keima on the other hand was quiet and regarded the coffee he was served with disinterest. Mio could almost see his fingers twitch, as if in search for his PFP.

But his eyes were trained on Mio most of the time. She couldn't say he wasn't paying attention to her or not trying. And it wasn't like she wanted him to kiss her in public places like hotel restaurants or ski slopes anyway.

"You're not eating, Mio-chan?" Mari asked suddenly, bringing the girl out of her stupor. "Is something wrong with the food?"

"No, it's fine" the blonde replied. "Of course not as good as yours… umh… Mari-san."

"Just Mari is fine" the orange-haired woman smiled. There was something more in that smile. The same thing Mio noticed when Mari first saw her in the clothes Mio had chosen for the dinner.

The blonde fought the urge to groan internally. Even she herself didn't know why she picked those clothes. "Cause it's restaurant" simple wouldn't do. The only possible explanation is that she had become enough of commoner to try and look good for Keima.

In truth, the level of annoyance this realization brought was nowhere near what she expected, but it was still there. Her internal turmoil must've showed on her face, because Keima eyed her suspiciously, so she got back to eating.

After they were done eating Mari and Eri went to check out the built-in hot spring bath, but Mio politely refused to join. It was pretty obvious both female Katsuragis assumed Mio wanted to spend some time with Keima alone, but in truth she wanted to bathe as well.

She was just against public hot springs. She was self-conscious enough.

Eri later telling her that the bath was girls-only didn't change anything. Women wouldn't peep at her, but would judge her and Mio didn't want that.

(* * *)

When Mio finally finished her long and relaxing bath and got back to her room it was already past six o'clock. She considered going to Keima's room, but she figured it was his "charge his gaming batteries" time and she didn't want to disturb him. However, she also decided that she exercised enough today to earn one of her favorite snacks as she opened one of her bags and retrieved a package from her hidden sandwich stash.

She was barely done eating when Eri walked into the room and dragged Mio to Mari and Keima's room to play a few rounds of child-friendly version of poker.

Mari was shocked Keima could keep such a perfect poker face.

Eri was shocked tsundere like Mio was not too shabby either.

And Mio was shocked Keima even agreed to play.

Finally, the game was over and Mio waited for both Mari and Eri to turn around before she gave Keima a peck on the cheek mouthed a quick "goodnight" and escaped, no… retreated to her own room.

It was only eight o'clock but the jet lag finally caught up with her.

It was time to call it a day.

(* * *)

Mio slept in as it was close to noon when she woke up. She noticed that Eri wasn't there. But there was a sheet of paper on her night table. She looked at it and immediately recognized Eri's drawings.

 _Mio-chan,_

 _hope you had a nice sleep. Me and kaa-san went to explore the city. We'll be back by 3 o'clock. Kaa-san wants for all of us to go together in the evening._

— _Eri_

 _P.S. Nii-sama is staying back in his room, so you two can have some fun._

 _P.P.S. Not too much fun!_

The last part was written in different handwriting, meaning it was a warning from Mari.

Mio briefly wondered how long will it take for the open grandchildren demands to appear. Then she decided she didn't want to learn the answer to that particular question anytime soon.

Maybe she should choose one of the better off classmates and play matchmaker between him and Eri, so Mari's ambition will focus on the former devil instead?

Mio shook her head. No, that would be a hit below the belt. Eri was not at fault here.

Mio changed her clothes or rather tried to, because in the middle of it she was interrupted by knocking on the door.

Please… please let it be Mari or room service.

"Mio?" a voice said and it certainly didn't belong to Mari or room service. Unless those played galges. "Are you there?"

Mio immediately bolted to the door and made sure it was closed.

"Don't come in!" she shouted in panic. Keima was on the other side of the door! And she only had her panties and bra on! "I'm not decent!"

Keima was silent for a second. "Is the door even unlocked?"

Mio checked and saw that it wasn't. She sighed in relief.

"Anyway, I suggest you wear the clothes from the yesterday's dinner. Just don't forget your jacket, 'cause we're going outside.I'll be waiting for you downstairs" he said.

Mio just stood there, the sound of him walking away barely audible through the beating of her heart, the feeling of being naked and confused washing through her.

What was that?

(* * *)

"You look nice" Keima complimented her when she met him at the bottom of the stairs.

"Um…thank you" she replied, assuming he meant the clothes. She complied with his request and picked the dress she used yesterday.

It was a simple scarlet dress, where the bodice clung nicely to her thin frame, while thin straps helped to support it. The straps crossed before connecting to garter-styled back, which accentuated her small waist. On the bottom, the mid-thigh skirt flowed lightly over the pleated pink lining, which she felt dance over her black tights which then disappeared into her calf high boots.

Mio also noticed Keima was kinda dressed up as well. Nothing too fancy and not that far from his "house shirt" look… but so far away at the same time. She put her jacket on"Where are we going?"

"On a date."

It's funny how a preposition, an indefinite article and a noun can stop a person dead in their tracks.

"W-what?" she sputtered out, completely surprised. She kinda wanted to face palm though. Why didn't she see it coming?

"You don't want to?" Keima asked back.

"It's not that" she replied hastily. "I mean why so out of a sudden?"

"Well, it has been some time already, but we haven't been on an official date so far" he explained.

"Oh… okay" she responded, the rest was told by her cheeks turning red until she realized her response was too vague. "I mean I'd love to… but are you fine with this? We don't have to-"

He cut her off by offering her his hand. "May I have this privilege?" he asked, but she kinda substituted 'privilege' with 'dance' in her mind. Moreover, she was still standing on the lowest step of the stairs, which both made her look taller and gave this 'princess walks down the stairs' kind of feel to the situation.

With all this she could only take the offered hand and nod.

"Then let's go" Keima said.

(* * *)

He led her through the streets and guided her to one of the restaurants. One of the more fancy restaurants. How did he even knew this place existed? He didn't leave yesterday… unless he did. And most important of all: how the hell did he manage to reserve a table here? Mio knew from her previous lifestyle that he needed to do it over a week ago… which meant he planned this before the trip started…

He planned it just for her.

The thought should make her happy, but it made her swallow a lump in her throat instead.

"Good afternoon. We have reservation here under then name Katsuragi" Keima said to the head waiter once they entered.

"Of course. I take you are Mr Katsuragi and this lovely young lady must be Ms Aoyama" the head waiter then bowed in the direction of Mio before ushering them inside and towards their table.

Mio should be ready for a situation like this. She used to eat at such places everyday with her parents. But for some reason (and she damn well knew that reason)her legs felt like made of iron and jelly at the same time. And she realized with a shock that Keima was holding her hand.

(* * *)

The entire 'dinner date' thing experience was terrifying.

And much, much more than that.

Mio was never on a real date before and didn't even know how date among commoners really looked like. However, she quickly realized that this type of date wasn't something that often happened to common couples.

Actually, she was ready to bet every last bit of her money that this was something called a perfect date.

Well, she could still see Keima's bed hair, but that was because she knew him. Otherwise, he was rather well-groomed and well-mannered today. He was also attentive and Mio was once again reminded why he was said to be able to capture the heart of any girl.

It almost felt as if he was directing her and their surrounding with the power of his mind.

Even the food was divine… befitting the ability of the God of Conquest.

A terrifying ability.

Mio soon found herself talking with Keima on topics she didn't know she could converse with him about. He made her surprised. He made her blush.

And he made her happy.

It was a wonderful experience. And at the same time terrifying. It was just the amount of power and control he had over her whenever he wanted. She was able to see it, but she wasn't able to resist it.

Maybe she didn't want to resist it?

And maybe that's why his obvious acting didn't bother her. Maybe he was acting because he couldn't go through such a date any other way. Not with this level of perfection. He wasn't deceiving her though. This was who Keima was – a man in pursuit of a woman. He wasn't conquering her for his benefit.

He was doing it for her.

And that was her privilege.

(* * *)

As wonderful and perfect (except for being expensive, Mio still felt kinda bad about letting him pay for all this) as this unexpected date was, it lacked in some parts. I mean, it was a restaurant dinner (were, late breakfast really). It couldn't offer the light atmosphere and humor that skiing, sledging or snowball fights created. She couldn't do those wearing a dress like that either.

However, she was forced to reconsider her view on that when her and Keima left the restaurant and he started leading her to "some other place".

Mio was clueless. Where could he lead her in the middle of winter? Well, at least it wasn't snowing today.

Her question was answered when they reached an enclosed area that was separate from the cold outside world. Once inside Mio realized they entered some sort of a botanical garden. A tropical-type botanical garden. There was so much green here. So much exotic plants. Large park-like open space too.

There were even some exotic birds in the air, at the trees and in the ponds.

And it was warm here.

"You knew about this place beforehand, right?" Mio asked when the first shock passed and they started their tour.

"I never neglect to do my research" Keima replied simply.

Mio only nodded. She was slowly starting to appreciate his gaming mindset. It was useful for date planning.

(* * *)

"Research is one thing" Keima said when they wandering around. "But I didn't expect you to enjoy it this much."

"Ah… it kinda reminds me when Papa took me to the zoo or the amusement park" Mio replied. "I really liked such outings."

"This in nowhere near exciting as zoo or amusement park" Keima noticed.

And I'm not your father, he thought to himself.

Mio just shrugged in response to his audible statement.

And then she got an idea. They were in Hokkaidō. No-one here knew them. Of course, strangers could laugh at them, but it would only be brief. Perhaps it was time to make another small step.

Slowly, carefully, but surely Mio extended her hand. Her heart was beating like crazy when she clasped Keima's hand with his, intertwining their fingers together. Keima's reaction was vague. He flinched a little bit, but did nothing to stop her.

After some time they decided to sit down on one of the benches near one of the ponds. Their hands were joined the whole time and Mio was slowly tempted to become more bold. She tried to fight it, but it was difficult, her urges demanding that she just pounce him and make up for the lack of lip contact lately.

No, there was no need for such a direct approach. She could just ask him to kiss her. Of even better, send him subtle signals. Flutter of eyelashes. A honest sweet smile (no, Mio, not a grin). Slowly leaning closer. There weren't even people nearby. They could were well be alone. She tucked loose strands of her hair behind her ear in the most girly, no... womanly way she could muster and she locked eyes with him. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but she thought she saw something right there in his eyes.

For the months to come she would sometimes wonder how things would have worked out if everything had went as planned and expected back then.

If they hadn't been interrupted.

It started with a wolf whistle.

Mio immediately jerked her head, hoping that the sound wasn't directed at them.

But it was.

Looking back at it, if it was just two of them then maybe Mio could just lash out at them, scaring one of them and then unleashing the old good tsundere violence on the other. Maybe it could even work against three if Keima worked with her and avoided calling them parsleys.

But it was five of them. Five guys. Outsiders. This was something Keima's galge skill couldn't control. Not in real they were looking as tall as Keima, but older than him.

"Hey, babe" the one at the front started, his words obviously directed at Mio. "You're a young good-looking thing. Don't you feel lonely here?"

Mio somehow felt Keima tense, but he didn't react just yet. Mio on the other hand had trouble staying put.

Why was this happening?

Granted, her clothes were kinda nice, so they would obviously gather attention. But why was it that the one time people weren't treating her like twelve year old was when it was coming from random skirt chasers?

Scratch that. They were skirt chasers, all right, but they didn't look all that random. The few other people close to them started to move away, Mio noticed.

And in all this sudden date confusion she forgot to take her whip with her.

"I'm here with someone" Mio replied, trying to not be too insulting.

"Someone?" the guy laughed. "Now, how about you ditch that loser and come play around with us instead?"

The loser comment did it.

"A loser?" she repeated. "This guy, no... this man here is worth many times more than all of you combined!" she shouted. She was standing but she didn't remember doing so. "Now get lost and go find some zoo where you belong, you band of apes!"

Keima hissed, signaling that she went a little too far. The guys apparently thought the same.

"Band of apes?" it was the leader's turn to repeat. "I think we have some misbehaving chick here. How about we teach you some manners, missy?"

The atmosphere suddenly thickened and Mio realized that they weren't a silly trio of high school delinquents. They were five grown-ups. Maybe even criminals.

Because if they were then there was nothing stopping them from assaulting the couple in broad daylight. Keima apparently thought the same 'cause he stood up as well and moved in front of Mio.

This obviously defensive maneuver was taken as an act of hostility, as the leader moved against Keima. Mio could feel her blood curdle.

This could end bad. Really bad.

"I think you're in the way" the leader said and sent a punch in Keima's direction.

Mio moved to interfere, but another guy grabbed her from behind.

"Don't move and nothing will happen to you" he said, grinning lewdly, his other hand going around Mio for a feel.

He apparently thought Mio was defenseless and not pissed. He was wrong on both accounts and became aware of it when Mio elbowed him in the ribs.

The guys eyes widened, but not as much as Mio's because somehow her elbow thrown from an awkward angle sent the guy a few feet back and he ended up on the grass, clutching his gut in obvious pain.

Mio couldn't think too much about it, because she heard a splash. She whipped around, expecting that the leader of the thugs had thrown Keima into the pond.

Well, almost.

Keima was standing where she last saw him and was completely unhurt. The leader on the other hand somehow rolled down towards the pond and ended up in the water.

Mio blinked, trying to figure out how such a thing was possible. Keima simply blinked, as if not comprehending it either.

One of the remaining thugs, probably the right hand of the leader, was even less accepting of the turn of events.

"Why you!" he roared as he dashed at them. Mio and Keima reacted as one mind, kneeing him together.

It worked surprisingly well.

The rest went rather quick. They heard another whistle, but this time it was a police officer running in their direction. The three downed guys suddenly found the strength in their legs and started to ran away, following the two unhurt thugs.

They were saved. The police officer believed their story, which was a miracle by itself (a lanky guy and a short girl defeating three guys like that?) and they were left off the hook without further investigation, so one could say all ended well.

Except the mood and the date was ruined.

(* * *)

Mio was pissed.

Unfortunately, she couldn't let out her frustration, because there was no-one to blame.

After the half-successful and half-failed first date Mio and Keima returned to their hotel in silence. When they got back they encountered Mari and Eri who were in quite the good spirits. Mio and Keima didn't want for them to worry, so they decided not to tell them anything except that they were out together.

Soon after that Mari executed her dreadful plan for the evening which mainly resolved around karaoke. Thus, the evening was spent in one of the booths alongside several snacks, drinks (alcoholic ones in the case of Mari) and singing.

Mio wasn't really happy with that. The fact that karaoke was a common activity was the least of her problems. She was more concerned with Keima, suspecting his discomfort, but both his poker face and mask were back in place, so she couldn't be sure.

But if her gut feeling was right then it was bad.

Thus, she wasn't in the best of moods when her and Eri went to sleep.

Why was this things kept happening just when she tried to move forward?

Was it a sign that she should go back to being passive?

Or maybe a good ending between the two of them wasn't meant to be after all?

Maybe she was destined to be just a girl in his life and nothing more and no amount of effort or magic orbs could change that?

(* * *)

The next day wasn't that dramatic, but promised to be just as unproductive as the previous one. Even worse, Mari concluded than Keima and Mio had enough alone time, so now all four of them should spend the day together, probably as an excuse to let Mio know the rest of Keima's family.

Mio expected the grandchildren question to appear soon.

The worst thing about this was that she and Keima didn't have any chance to talk privately, as Mari and Eri hung close to them. And Mio was surprised how much places and things they could go and do in winter that weren't related to winter sports.

For one, they went shopping and everyone bought something (obviously local galges in Keima's case). Mio herself didn't want to waste her hard-earned money, no matter how tempting a particular piece of clothing looked. And she refused to let Mari pay for it, even partially.

But as we all know, in front of Mari Katsuragi all resistance was futile.

Still, Mio thought that it would be better to separate from both girls, so she would have some chances to talk with Keima.

"And now, the last point for today" Mari said when it was already getting dark.

Mio looked at where they arrived. The place was an open space lit with subtle but effective lighting and resembled a large park, perfect for night walks. Mio suddenly felt a mix of familiarity and anxiety for some reason. She was confused for a moment, but then noticed the high ceiling and the change in temperature and realized where they were.

It was the botanic garden thing again.

At this time of day it was looking completely different, but it was the same place. Mio felt her stomach sink a little. This place brought bad memories and Mio didn't want to go there. Mari and Eri being with them didn't change a thing.

"What's wrong?" Mari asked, seeing as neither Mio nor Keima moved from their spot at the entrance.

Mio opened her mouth, words eluding her. Fortunately, Keima saved them.

Kinda.

"We've been here today, mom" Keima said.

"Aah… romantic date, huh?" Mari asked, winking at Mio, who tried to smile back, but with little success. "Still this place looks completely different at night. They even said about it in the pamphlet" the orange-haired woman waved a small book in front of them. "It's one of the biggest tourist attractions around here during winter."

What to do, Mio thought. Should she just say they wanted to go back to the hotel by themselves? She would very much like to do that, but it would look suspicious, just as refusing to go into the garden for no reason. And Mio desperately wanted to avoid more questions.

Yet, again Keima rescued them.

"I know… but me and Mio" Keima put his hand over Mio's shoulder. "We were thinking of trying something different today. Not karaoke but… but…"

"A club" Mio shot at random. "You know, listen to some music, have so fun…"

It was a terrible excuse and Mari looked at the two of them with surprise, but then she smiled.

"Oh I get what you're saying. I went to this one club hereon the first day too. No-one tried to approach me there, so I guess it should be safe for you. I can give you the directions. Still, I trust you'll keep your girlfriend safe. And no alcohol, is that understood?"

"Perfectly" Keima said.

(* * *)

And that's how the two of them found themselves inside a certain club ten minutes later.

Bad points?

There was loud techno music playing (Mio was more used to classics, piano orchestra and the like) and various colored lights were flashing out from every side,blinking rapidly. And it was quite crowded here. Definitely a commoner-type entertainment establishment.

Good points?

It had security and the people, while commoners, didn't look like some bad element. The worst that could happen here was someone grabbing her butt. And only accidentally at that.

Still, Mio was tempted to just walk out, but then they'd risk running into Mari and more questions. From the look on Keima's face he was thinking the same.

"I know it's getting to know the real, but that is a little extreme" he said. Mio barely heard him through the noise.

"Yes, definitely too many commoners" Mio replied. "But we have little choice. Let's just get it over with."

"But what are we supposed to do here?" Keima asked.

"We could try dancing" Mio suggested hopefully.

"You call that dancing?" he pointed at the various people on the dancing floor.

"No, definitely not" Mio reconsidered when she looked closer. "How about we get to the bar?"

"We're underage" Keima noticed. Mio was thankful he didn't mention no-one would ever believe she was an adult at her height.

"There's a lot of teenagers here" Mio remarked. "I bet they have a lot of non-alcoholic stuff."

"You're right" Keima admitted.

So with some trouble they squeezed through the dance floor and sat at the far side of the bar. It wasn't so crowded here and the music wasn't that loud either.

They ordered their drinks (Keima asked for non-alcoholic beer) and then settled on watching the other customers.

"If that's what real is like then I want no part in it" Keima remarked.

"I hear you" she said. "I don't want to become nearly that common either. Then she thought about something. "I didn't have the chance to thank you yet."

"Thank me?" Keima repeated. "For what?"

"For trying to protect me from those assholes yesterday" Mio told him. "That took some bravery. I was touched" she looked at him with worried eyes. "I'm just afraid to see you hurt."

"It's my responsibility to handle the fights" he said.

"Of course. As soon as you defeat me in a fight" she challenged.

"You can pack a punch, I will give you that" he admitted and turned back to her. Then he froze, his eyes distant and fixed somewhere above her.

"So that's what happened" he said suddenly, his eyes narrowing. "I should've known."

"What are you talking about?" Mio asked, thinking she heard him wrong.

Keima pointed his finger at the other side of the bar. Mio looked over there and at first she couldn't see what he was getting at. The only thing out of place there was this small violet-haired girl, even smaller than Mio, dressed in a jacket, scarf and a big cap despite being indoors. Somewhat futuristic looking headphones were sticking out from the cap.

The girl was looking right at them while scribbling something on a pad of paper, as if studying the human behavior.

And that's when Mio realized who it was.

"That's one of the devils!" she said a little too loud but no-one was paying attention to them anyway.

"Yes" Keima nodded. "More precisely it's Rimyuel. One of our guardian angels.… um… devils. So at least one of them followed us all of the way here, it seems."

"Wait" Mio furrowed her brow in thought. "You want to say that she's the one who helped us get rid of those… ugh… assholes yesterday?"

"Apparently…though at first I thought you just socked those guys pretty good."

"And what about the one who was fighting you? You thought he landed in the pond on his own?" Mio asked.

"I thought he just slipped."

"Seriously?"

"It's not so uncommon in games."

Mio rolled her eyes, but then she turned back to Rimyuel, smiled politely and bowed her head in what she hoped was obvious sign of gratitude. Rimyuel responded with a barely noticeable nod. Then Mio blinked. And then the devil was no more. Mio briefly wondered if only the two of them could see her.

"It's a shame she didn't interfere sooner" Mio said. Keima opened his mouth to say something, but Mio continued. "I'm going to the restroom."

"Alone?" he asked and when she looked at him funny, her face reddening, he explained further. "I mean I should escort you, not go into the room with you."

Mio stood there for a moment and then smiled at him.

"I appreciate the gesture, but there are crowds here and I'll have infernal forces watching over me, so I think I'll be fine."

She left with that and reached the restroom with no problem whatsoever. She thought about Keima's offer to escort her. Maybe she should've agreed? But there was no danger really…

Then she looked up at her own reflection in the sink mirror as an idea struck her.

What if Keima was worried some other guys will try to make a pass at her? Mio doubted any guy would put the moves on her here, where there was so many other more… open-minded girls and where no-one knew the greatest asset that always attracted men to her – her past wealth. Keima's fear would be unjustified. And he most probably didn't think anything like that.

Then another idea entered her mind. There were a lot of open-minded girls here, right…? what if one of them tried to make a move on _her_ man? Would Rimyuel be able to protect Keima in that case? Would she even want to do that?

Mio washed her hands in record time and left the bathroom, trying to see over the crowds and cursing her height. There he was! He was still alone, thank goddesses!

Mio proceeded to walk back to the bar, trying to avoid people stepping on her while doing the thing they called "dancing". She only partially succeeded as someone bumped into her.

"Hey, watch it!" Mio barked.

"My bad" the person turned out to be a girl. "I'm really sorry, I wasn't paying attention and-" she then paused and looked closely. "Mio!?"

The surprise in her eyes was only matches by Mio's.

"Sumire?" the blonde asked back in shock.

The people around them didn't notice a thing, continued to move more or less according to the rhythm.

"What are you doing here?" Mio asked. This couldn't be a coincidence. Rimyuel and now Sumire? Who's going to appear next? Kosaka? Yui? Oh god, please let it not be Yui. She glanced over at Keima as if expecting the guitarist and drummer to be there already. But they weren't.

"Enjoying myself" the rāmen lover replied, before sighing. "Or at least trying to."

"Here? In Hokkaidō?" Mio questioned.

Sumire shrugged. "Yeah. We earned good amount of money thanks to our new shop strategy, so me and father decided to take a few days off. I would've preferred summer vacation, but if things stay good like this then we'll go for summer as well."

"And why are you _here_ specifically?" Mio asked gesturing to the club.

Sumire's smile fell a little and color invaded her cheeks.

"Umm… I'm kinda man hunting."

"What!?"

"I mean, it's just a few days, but I thought maybe I should start training… you know… helping me to move on."

"Oh…" Mio suddenly went quiet. "So… umm… any luck with that?"

Sumire laughed. "So far? Just a bunch of boring kids and horny assholes" she said, before changing the topic. "But for the two of us to meet in a place like this. What are you doing here? Are you on a trip with you mother?"

It was Mio's turn to go red. She was tempted to lie, but Keima told Yui, right?

"Actually… I'm on a trip with Keima's family…"

Sumire's eyes could very well be two saucers.

"With all of them?"

"Well… his father couldn't be here… so I kinda took his spot."

"That explains nothing" Sumire told her. "How did you manage to do this?"

"Umm… the thing is… me and Keima are kinda going out at the moment."

"Really!?" Sumire asked and Mio heard her clearly despite the loud music. "And what you mean kinda? Aah… what does it matter? My congratulations then!"

"Yeah… thanks" Mio uttered, not sure what to say.

"But what are you doing here alone then?"

"I'm not exactly alone" Mio said and indicated to where Keima was sitting.

"Sweet! This evening could turn nice yet!" Sumire exclaimed then turned to Mio. "How about we party, just the three of us? And don't worry I won't try to steal your man… as long as you permit me one last dance with him."

Mio was quiet for a moment, weighing her options. And then she nodded.

(* * *)

Keima was even more surprised at the turn of events, at first suspecting that Sumire was just a devil in disguise. However, after that things turned surprisingly nice.

Sumire was very happy to hang out with them and she even managed to drag Keima to the dancing floor. Mio was afraid of that at first, but it turned out Sumire was not only true to her world, but she also grabbed Mio for a spin as well.

It was certain this wasn't the best way of spending time for Keima and Mio, but it went much better than Mio expected. After all, talking, drinking, dancing, exchanging gossip and teasing weren't so bad and the evening ended without problems.

Except the gap between Mio and Keima remained.

And so another day of their trip had ended.

And Mio was slowly losing her hopes about bringing the two of them closer.

 **(* * *)**

 **So yeah... there is a lot of things happening here the arrival. Room assignment (*grins*). Skiing. Mari's watchful eyes and teasing (*grins*). Dresses and classy dinner dates. Botanical gardens with unwelcome visitors. Forced trip to the club. Sumire making unexpected appearance. Well, at least she's moving on. And that's it. The second half of the trip is still to be seen.**

 **And believe me, there's some good stuff there as well! So stay tuned for the next chapter!**

 **And just so you know: non-alcoholic drinks for minors are legal in Japan, though not recommended.**

 **Trivia time: the room number 308 was chosen from the fandom shorthands of its inhabitants: Mari (30) and Keima (08). The other room is simply next to it.**

 **As always, follows, favs and reviews are very much appreciated.**

 **See you next time!**

 **Update: being the horrible jerk with cheese for memory that I am I forgot to mention something: the credit for designing the outfit Mio was wearing for the hotel dinner and restaurant dinner date goes to Sir Sleeps-a-lot! Thank you for that! :)**


	15. Flag 55: The trip concludes!

**Hello, everyone! I'm back!**

 **A day or two later than I promised, but I'm back and here's the other half of the "twin chapter".**

 **I want to make this author's notes brief (we'll talk more at the bottom of the chapter).**

 **However, there's one thing to note before we move on. More precisely, this story has officially reached over one hundred reviews.**

 **One hundred... that's crazy! And I can't thank you enough. But I'll try. Thank you, each and every one of you for your continuous support for this story. You're great guys and gals!**

 **Here are the latest replies:**

 **Sir Sleeps-a-lot** **:** Yeah, I forgot about that *hangs his head in shame*. Yeah, I'm not sure how many days there were either, but no more than three. The winter events are "accidental" (it's just the current in-story season). I would've preferred summer, buy maybe we'll get there. Well, Keima and Mio aren't exactly meek and obedient characters, so physical or verbal violence was expected xD. Yeah, the club was random. Actually, I had this idea for some time, but I had completely no idea hot to introduce it and what to do in there xD. As for the trip ending… just read on. P.S. Let's hope you'll stay logged this time as well. XD

 **ZelgadisGW:** Yes, it was. Congratulations! :) Glad you liked Mari's rule enforcement and the date. And Kusunoki… we can only wonder for now… Aah, Sumire… yes, she moved on. Whether she'll appear again… we'll see. So, the Force sense something helps you? But still, everything the dark side clouds...

 **NotAnAuthor504:** Damn… I see that some "merged words" are still there despite me carefully checking for them :\\. Anyway, thank you for pointing them out. Moving on, it really makes me happy to know you found the hero and the heroine in character. Mari reading KamiNomi though? That would be crazy xD ("that male protagonist is cool, unlike my son". Unfortunately, the 5 skirt-chasers got away (almost) safely. Well, Sumire certainly had her role. So far at least :P. I half understand your "and sentence start" issue, but I'm 95% sure I'll keep doing it like that. It's stronger than me. It doesn't work for me any other way it seems…

 **Animeloverq8:** Thanks, although I think the good organization is partially luck, but have it your way. :)

 **Leyknar:** So do I :). I just can't wait to see what's going to happen next. It's not really as funny as it sounds, 'cause roughly half of the story is made up as I go… it has worked so far, but it's not how I should do things…

 **Shawn Raven:** I'm always happy to see your reviews and I'm glad you consider the chapter entertaining :). Well, we're talking 17 year-olds, so I guess poker is friendly enough if you place with tokens instead of money. Probably. Glad you liked the stairs scene… I wonder if that's the last we've seen of the stairs scenes though… Yeah, the real can be a bitch… no argument there. And the universe kinda means me, I guess xD. Yep, Sumire's gaining new skills, it seems. As the final thought: be careful what you wish for ;).

 **Sasori69:** The drama with Sumire is over it seems… she never had much hope with this. She was just trying to help Keima and stick around in case something happened to him. But now she let Mio take care of him. Kinda.

 **DPSS:** You're totally right. Being a bit shorter and younger than majority of KamiNomi characters is not an excuse! (Wo)man up, Mio! I wonder if she'll hear us though… it might take more than that… And Mio wasn't really that pushy… unless you mean her pushing other people away to guard her secrets. I think she was used that guard and kinda tried to advance while keeping using that armor of hers.

 **Okay... I bet you can't wait to see what's going to happen on the spring (winter?) trip next... so let's just get to it!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

The following night was restless and dark thoughts plagued Mio's mind when she slept. She woke up, but didn't feel like getting up. She got out of bed after another hour and only then she noticed that Eri was not there. It was 10 AM already.

Mio washed up and then considered going down for breakfast. But first she went to Keima's room in hope she could eat breakfast with him. It turned out he wasn't there however, so Mio walked down the stairs and headed for the dining hall which seemed to be practically empty. It seemed every hotel guest was already out skiing or whatever.

Mio ate her breakfast alone and then walked back to her room. She just climbed the stairs when she spotted Keima knocking at the door to her room with one hand while holding something in the other.

"There you are" he said and approached her. "Good morning."

"Good morning" she replied. "I looked for you before, where have you been?" she asked trying not to sound like a clingy girlfriend or nagging wife.

"Sleeping with headphones on" he explained. "Anyway, here" he finished handing her the thing he was holding.

"Huh? What's this?" Mio said examining the small package and then noticed what it was. "You bought me marshmallows?" she asked, puzzled.

"You don't like them?" Keima asked back. "I thought you said that if there's no bread then you shall eat sweets" he replied with a faint smile.

It did sound like something Mio would say, but she didn't remember ever having said that. But it didn't matter, the important question now was...

"Why are you giving me this?"

"The White Day" Keima replied looking at her as if she was making fun of him.

"What?"

"It's 14th of March. The white day."

Mio looked at him, incredulous. How could she forget about that?

"B-but I didn't buy you any chocolates on Valentine's Day" she noticed.

"Is that so?" Keima drawled, his gaze getting sharper. "And here I thought I found heaps of chocolate in my drawer a month ago."

"Idiot! They were obligatory or 'thank you' chocolates from all your other… female acquaintances" she explained with a haughty tone. "Besides, why would I buy you chocolate? You don't like sweets."

"It was low-sugar chocolate. Not my favorite, I admit, but perfectly tolerable" Keima said. "I took me over a week to eat all of it though."

"Whatever" Mio cut him off, angered by the thought of him eating chocolate given by someone else than her. "I still didn't buy you anything."

And there was no way he could deny it. After all, she had chosen the most regular looking chocolate and made sure it wasn't placed in front or signed. There was no way he could trace it back to her.

Still, it was better not to tempt fate, so Mio turned around and walked towards the stairs in hurry, not sure where to go, but intending to end the conversation before he could see through her lie.

"You're right" Keima admitted and Mio could practically hear him smile. "Except Haqua saw you putting itin my locker."

"W-what?" Mio turned back to him, but her right foot was already half-down the step. Before the blond girl knew what was happening she lost her balance. She started to flail her arms, but in vain – she felt herself lean forward towards the stairs. Her life was just about to flash before her eyes and then, instead of her body tumbling down the stairs, she felt a strong tug in the other direction. Half a second later she crashed into something, but it wasn't a cold hard floor. This something was a lot softer, yet firm at the same time. Mio opened the eyes – when did she even close them? – and blinked. Refusing to accept what she saw she looked up, but it didn't change anything.

She was practically put against Keima's chest, the hand he used to grab her still clutching her wrist. Weren't it for the fact that she was probably just saved from having a compound bone fracture, she would've blushed.

"Oi, be careful!" Keima said, not an ounce of joy or amusement in his voice. Quite the opposite – he looked really serious, eyes scanning her face as if searching for injuries, his other hand grabbed her shoulder, as if fearing she might fall if he let her go. "What would you do if you fell?"

At this point, due to some unexplainable mix of anger, embarrassment and, strangely, happiness, Mio did blush.

"It was _your_ fault I almost fell, idiot!" she told him, shoving him away and walking past him. She entered the room she shared with Eri, closed the doorand leaned against it.

Only now did she realize she was still holding the box of marshmallows.

She slid down the door and plopped to the ground. This was exactly what she meant when talking to Urara. Keima just gave her a White Day gift and she should simply accept it,admit to buying him chocolate, even if it was not home-made and cheap. She should've milked the situation.

But no, she somehow managed to waste a perfect flag and turn into a dangerous situation…

Failed date. Almost falling down the stairs. The flags were just getting better.

Great. Just great.

(* * *)

Mari walked up the stairs and then she noticed Keima just standing there as if looking at something that wasn't there. Now, it wouldn't be the first time her son hallucinated about games, but somehow it felt different.

"Keima?" she asked and saw him flinch. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes" Keima replied. "Everything's fine."

Mari just nodded and changed the topic – a thing that something was amiss never again entering her mind.

Keima was a good liar after all.

(* * *)

Mio stayed inside the room for a while. She managed to cool down considerably thanks to absence of Keima and stairs (even the box of marshmallows was out of her sight at the moment). Still, the only applicable word one could use to describe her thoughts right now was disarray.

What was she supposed to do right now? Those past few days were doing nothing but sending confusing signals at best. I mean, it wasn't the first time but this trip made it more problematic and apparent. And Mio couldn't just run away this time. It was like a trap made specifically to force her into action.

Action she feared. Even more so after what happened so far.

She needed to clear her mind. But not here. Eri was bound to charge into the room at any time (Mio was surprised she didn't see the hyperactive Katsuragi twin today yet). Going outside would reduce the risk of meeting anyone, but Mio wasn't really looking forward to thinking while walking through snowy streets. She needed some place that would be suitable for mulling this over and with no people around.

Wait.

She sat up immediately. There was such a place around here! Half a minute later she carefully left the room, expecting to see Keima, Eri or Mari at the other side of the door, but there was no-one. She proceeded towards her destination, looking for people, but the hotel was pretty much empty – it was not even noon yet, so everyone was out. No-one will be there to disturb her thought process.

Soon she reached her destination, entering the room. It was empty, so Mio happily started to undress.

Why didn't she think of using the hot spring before, she thought as she removed her hair bands, letting her hair was a perfect setting – warm and relaxing. And at this hour there will be no-one around, so nobody will interrupt her and she could enjoy it without the fear of some model-looking girls and housewives laughing about her figure.

Once undressed, Mio grabbed a towel, wrapped herself with it and proceeded to the bathing area. She opened the door and looked around before smiling. It was empty! She slowly approached the water, glanced around once more to be sure and then removed the towel and walked into the water. She found some shallow area, where she could sit, then she put her towel on a nearby boulder and leaned against it, letting out a contended sigh.

She stayed like that for a while, not moving, not thinking...simply enjoying this miracle – an outdoor hot spring in this time of year. It was still cold here in Hokkaidō and it was actually snowing, but the bath was surrounded with a tall wooden fence and the heat and the steam made it that Mio could easily forget about winter altogether.

In fact, she forgot about everything and woke up an hour later, remembering she was supposed to be thinking here. Doing that proved harder than she expected. Maybe the place choice wasn't the best after all? And what would she tell Keima or, even worse, Mari when they ask where Mio was at noon or find her here?

Oh, me? I was alone naked in the bath, thinking of your son.

No, she shook her head, not going there. No more daydreaming! She had to be strong and solve this problem!

She tried to focus on the facts. Her and Keima were officially together. Mari, Mio's mother, Urara and Tsukiyo were supporting it. Keima and Eri were kinda supporting it. Sumire was not against it. Yui's opinion was irrelevant.

Then Keima organized a near perfect date for them. He could be doing it out of obligation, but it wasn't certain.

And then the fiasco at the botanical garden happened. But it wasn't her fault and not Keima's either. It was dangerous and disappointing, but it shouldn't affect their relationship in general.

Moving on, Mio and Keima had kissed before and Keima didn't seem to hate it. He didn't seem to be particularly sad or angry about what they were doing. He was actually considerate and the only one who seemed to have any problem with that was Mio herself. Such distanced relations were actually what Mio would expect from a business or arranged marriage. Actually, some time ago it was common for couples to live with each other like that. Decades ago Mio and Keima could be easily mistaken for a married couple if it weren't for their age, Mio's unimpressive height and living in separate rooms.

The only problem was that the times were now different and even Japanese people were much more open about emotions and passions.

Yes, stop kidding yourself, she thought, forcing herself to face the truth. She didn't want to stop at such business relations. Her heart wasn't made of cold ice or impassive stone. It was beating and it quickened every time she thought of Keima. Treating him as an uninterested creep didn't change a thing. She had let the dam break some time ago and yet, she still acted as if nothing was wrong, while she was flooded. She tried to keep the relationship stable, while wanting to advance at the same time. Then she tried half-measures only to backtrack when difficulties arose. It was like trying to keep her head above the surface of water, while at the same time trying to reach the bottom with her feet.

This was absurd.

Something had to be done. Mari's attempts to bring them together won't be enough. Keima's misplaced respect for her won't do anymore either. No more half-assed events that served nothing, but confusing and straining her further and further.

No.

She needed to confront Keima. They were together. Fine. He wanted to give her a chance. That's fine as well. But she need to know what he thought of her. How he felt about her. How he felt about the two of them acting more close with each other. No, she should directly ask to do things like hands holding and kissing. She should be just a little more considerate of herself and less considerate of him.

She paused at that thought, perplexed. She kinda blamed Keima for being vague, acting considerate and sacrificing himself… but wasn't she doing the same exact thing to him? Could it be that Keima was confused by her being so vague about her needs and expectations? Could they be two people stumbling in the dark?

No. It wasn't the same. Keima was galge gamer and was no good with real-life girls. His clumsiness was expected. No, as socially challenged as she was, it was her responsibility to fix things.

But one thing puzzled her… why was she so considerate towards him? It never struck her as weird before, but now was different. She was afraid to scare him off, of course, but him agreeing to date her and go on a trip with her kinda disarmed that theory.

Why was she agonizing and sacrificing herself like that? She? A noble woman who always had others do her bidding? Why was the thought of Keima tied to her against his will was so repulsive? She tried to find an explanation, but something was always off. She somehow knew that all of her guesses were wrong.

Except for one.

The only remaining and – surprisingly – logical explanation was that she…

Mio groaned out loud, throwing her head back against the boulder. She didn't know what to do with this new discovery, but the decision was made for her when she heard a splashing sound.

Of course, throughout her bath Mio looked at the fence to spot any peeping toms – not matter how unlikely that was given the steam, the tall fence and Mio's own scrawny body – and she kept watching the entrance in case some other women tried to interrupt her bath. But the sound just now didn't come from the entrance.

It came from behind the boulder to her left.

"Who's there?" she asked at the same as the other person, making their voices mix strangely. Her mind instinctively urged her to go ballistic, but somehow she froze on the spot instead, as if the hot spring suddenly turned into an ice rink. She just kept looking at the boulder and after a few more splashing sounds a person emerged from behind the boulder and the steam cleared briefly as Mio locked eyes with her boyfriend.

Her brain fried up, directing excess heat to her face and she stared at Keima for a full second – taking note of his damp hair and exposed chest – and then her eyes ventured down of their own volition. Then she realized that the steam thickened, not letting her see anything. She cursed under her breath and then she realized what she was doing and her eyes shot up again only to see Keima comically widen his own.

It was then that her brain's wiring returned to normal and made her realize she rose up from the water, topless. Not only that, but she recalled the water was shallow here and barely reaching her upper thigh. All that leading to the only possible reaction.

"KYAAAAH!" she screamed, disappearing nose-deep into the water. Surprisingly, Keima yelped as well, disappearing behind his side of the boulder. Mio didn't see it though. She went for her towel and held it to her body, 'do not submerge towels in water' rule be damned.

Ugh, and why was this towel so freakin' small?

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you enter, I must've dozed off" she heard Keima say, his voice trembling a bit. They were now leaning against opposite sides of the same boulder, not a meter between them. She held her towel a little more tightly to her body.

Mio draw in her breath. How could he speak so well without his teeth? Wait. She didn't punch him. Why the hell didn't she punch him?

"What were you doing here?" she asked, aiming for a horrifying angry shout, but her response came out as surprisingly _meek_.

"Taking a bath?" he replied.

"Cut this smart-ass bullshit! It's a women's hot spring, pervert!" she shouted, but it still lacked the force she intended. She intended it, right?

"No" he replied, his voice calmer, but still far from the usual. "It's a mixed hot spring."

Mio snorted at his lie, turning to the sign above the entrance to prove her point. She read it.

 _Mixed male and female hot springs area_

"The smaller, female-only hot spring is located at the other wing of the hotel" Keima's voice reached her. "I thought Eri told you that."

Mio's eyes widened. Eri said the hot spring was "girls-only" but she didn't say there was more than one hot spring here. Did she do it on purpose?

"Are you okay in there?" Keima asked when she didn't reply.

Yes, Mio thought. Her boyfriend had just pretty much seen her naked. Everything was fine. Her brain fumbled for anything to say.

"Your mother and sister went for the other hot spring, right?" she asked.

"No" Keima replied. "They went sight seeing to a nearby city. They won't be here till evening."

Mio was about to ask why they didn't ask her if she wanted to go, but she kinda knew the reason – they wanted to leave the "lovebirds" alone.

"Why are you here then?" she asked, recovering a part of her usual fierce demeanor. "It's really shady for you to be here just when I'm taking a bath."

"Have you tried your marshmallows?" he asked, catching her off guard.

"Ugh… I didn't try them yet" she managed. She was so confused by the earlier turn of events that she didn't even think about opening the box of sweets.

"I see" Keima replied, his voice unreadable. "Sorry for the intrusion" he apologized despite that she was the one at fault. "I won't be disturbing you then."

Mio wanted to say something, but then she saw him walk and turned away. She heard him exit the bath and he was gone, leaving Mio more confused then embarrassed.

What was _that_!?

She waited for a moment longer, making sure she won't meet him in the changing room and the left the bath as well. She dried herself ("Ugh! Why girls need so much time to dry their hair? What does she even need that long hair for?")changed back into her clothes and immediately headed for Keima's room, determined to have a talk with him. It was just that something about what just occurred bugged her. She didn't want any more misunderstanding.

She reached the room 308 and rapped on the door. But she was answered with silence.

"K-Keima!" she shouted, fighting the unconscious urge to just call him Katsuragi. "Can you hear me!? We need to talk! C'mon,I know you're there!"

But after a few more tries Mio was forced to either assume he wasn't in there or didn't want to speak with her. That last possibility scared her. Should she go around the place and look for him?

In the end she decided to go to her own room. It was next to his, so she should hear if he was moving inside, going out or going in. Mio laid down on her bed and tried to relax, but it didn't really work. All the time she felt tense. Damn, normally she would just eat one of her sandwiches in times like these, but she was already done with her secret stash! If only she had some kind of sweets here...

Wait a moment.

She stood up and reached for the unopened box of the marshmallows. It was a physical, palpable proof of Keima's care. And she didn't even try it. Did he think she didn't want it or something? How stupid of him, she thought as she opened the box and popped the first marshmallow into her mouth.

The marshmallows have never tasted so bittersweet before.

(* * *)

More than two hours and a half of box worth of marshmallows later Mio suddenly opened her eyes. For a moment she wondered what happened, but then she realized she must've dozed off. And then she realized what woke her up.

She could hear the noise of the door being unlocked. She shot out of the bed immediately. Were Mari and Eri back? Or was it Keima? She entered the corridor and saw the door to Keima and Mari's room close. She walked to the door and knocked again.

This time the reaction was almost instantaneous – the door opened and Mio saw that it was indeed Keima. He was looking normal at first, but on closer inspection she noticed that he was looking… off. His eyes were kind of distant and his hair were in more disarray than normal.

"Mio?" he asked, as if surprised. "What's wrong? Hey-" she cut him off by pushing him back inside she looked around and saw that they were indeed alone.

"What are you doing?" Keima asked, voice between irritated and panicked.

Mio ignored his question. "Your mother is still not here?"

"I told you she and Eri won't be back till evening."

"Where were you?" Mio shot again, not letting him get another word in, feeling like a nagging mother scolding her child. She didn't want to do this, but she was kinda out of options. She had to solve this thing. "I mean, I left not long after you, but your room was closed."

"I went out" Keima said slowly.

"Out?" she repeated. "You mean you went on a walk straight after coming out of bath?"

"Yeah, basically" he replied. "Why?"

"Cause I couldn't find you!" she told him as if it was obvious.

"Why didn't you just mail me?" he asked.

Mio opened her mouth, but words eluded her. Her cell phone was something she was kind of ashamed, as it was not only common, but cheap, but she _had_ a phone and it was working.

Why the hell didn't she mail him?

"T-that's not important" she dodged his question, fearing they were getting off track. "Look, we need to talk."

Mio immediately regretted her choice of words when Keima's eyes widened again.

"I didn't mean it like that! Just-ugh-just come over here!" she grabbed his arm and led him to one of the beds and forced him to sit down. Keima did as he was told and continued to look at her expectantly, making Mio self-conscious.

But she wasn't going to back down.

"Listen, the thing is… I'd like to redefine our… relationship" she started. "I just… don't like it the way it is now." Keima didn't say anything to that, but she didn't notice it, struggling with words. "I mean, I know I should be patient and tolerant and all that. And I try to be like that. I really do. But it's kinda not working and-"

"I'm sorry" Keima suddenly cut her off.

"Yeah and-wait what?" Mio was confused. "You're sorry? For what?"

"I'm a lousy boyfriend" he admitted. "I knew it."

"Why do you think that?" she asked, surprised.

"Do you even need to ask?" he questioned. "It's my duty as your boyfriend to keep you happy. And I wanted you to be free, so I decided not to use my galge techniques more than necessary. Based on the sledging and snowball fights experience, I should be able to do it, especially on a trip like that, but I've failed. It has been a few days, but I wasn't able to make you happy. I failed to protect you during that date. I've noticed you've been more gloomy after that. You've become even more passive. And you didn't even eat my marshmallows. You were appalled thinking about staying with me in one room.I'm not surprised you're reconsidering being my girlfriend… I just didn't think I could disappoint you this much..."

"What!?" Mio shouted, but more out of fear than anger. "Idiot! You've got it totally wrong!"

"What?" he echoed her, his eyes betraying honest surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not disappointed with you!"

"But you were gloomy and you didn't eat your marshmallows."

"I didn't eat them 'cause I was confused and embarrassed and... yeah" Mio said while fighting the threatening blush. "But I ate them when I was waiting for you. They were good. Thank you. It was bad manners not to eat them immediately. I'm sorry" she said all that in a hurry, making it barely understandable. "The room thing… I overreacted… it had more to do with your mother than you… I know you wouldn't try anything funny… And the reason why I was gloomy was because I was afraid to act" she paused for a moment, because next part was kinda important. "I mean, I didn't want to impose on you, so I chose to be careful and not do things until you suggested them."

"You did what?" Keima asked, clearly not believing.

"I like you and I want to get closer to you. Yes, the date was interrupted, but it wasn't your fault. I still enjoyed it. I want to be with you, but I concluded I'd rather remain your girlfriend and have little romantic contact with you than act too bold and alienate you from me… so it's partially my fault. No… it's entirely my fault. My concern for you made me unable to act and-"

"Hold your horses" Keima suddenly said. "I can understand you having feelings for me. I conquered you after all. And I can understand you continuing to have such feelings even now, as strange as it is" Keima said. "But why are you so concerned about me?" he asked.

Mio looked at him, incredulous.

"Why am I concerned about you?" she repeated in angry voice. "How about because I CARE ABOUT YOU, YOU MORON!" Keima opened his mouth, but Mio was on the roll. "Seriously! How can someone so smart be so dumb!? You want to tell me you don't know that we ALL care about you!?"

Keima scoffed. "I know that" he said. "But that's as friends and family. Mostly."

"Well, my care is beyond friends or family!" Mio told him. "Or did you think I was all 'take' and no 'give'?"

"Well, this kinda fits your archetype" Keima said, earning himself an elbow to the ribs.

"And being an insensitive jerk kinda fits yours" she told him, but her lips curled into a small smile."And one more thing. You seem to be misunderstanding something."

"Like what?" Keima asked, nursing his side.

"You remember what happened at the party?"

It was obvious she meant the party at the end of her conquest.

"Of course I do, what kind of insult is that?" Keima replied. "In order to exorcise the loose soul I let you teach me how to dance and then I kissed you and-"

"Wrong!" Mio cut him off. "You let me teach you?" she snorted. "Don't make me laugh. It was _me_ who gave you the privilege of learning from me. It was _me_ who let _you_ kiss me!"

"I-"

"You think you forced that kiss on me!?" she questioned. "That you simply seduced me and made me powerless to resist!? No… you gave me a choice. Choice between staying with you or going back to the party. Choice between you and my father – who I still considered alive and by my side at that time and who was the most important person to me for fifteen freakin' years!And I still chose you!"

Keima frowned at that. "I can't be a replacement for you father" he said.

"What? A replace-what?" she was now even more puzzled until she remembered what she said during that botanical garden date. "Idiot! I don't want you to be my father! Yes, I would love to have you get a chance to meet him, but he's gone, let his soul rest in peace… But if your really want one thing that you and my father have in common then it's the ability to make me happy. That's something I know for sure!"

Mio stopped to give him a chance to talk, but Keima just sit there, speechless, his eyes widening.

"Now where I was?" Mio wondered for a moment. "Oh yeah… Me choosing you. And don't you think I didn't know who you were back then!" she continued, but much calmer now. "I mean, I didn't know about your mission, family, history or that much about your ideals or skills… but even I knew you were that creepy guy at school. This was actually the only reason I had Morita… punish you when you confessed to me."

"You punished me in front of the school, so everyone could see it" Keima said before he could think better of it. "Because you didn't want anyone to think you were associating with me…"

"I'm not proud of it, but… yes" she admitted, feeling her heart sink a little, before she shook her head to shake off this feeling. "Anyway, I knew you were supposed to be a creepy guy, yet I still chose you over my previous life. Over my father."

Keima kept quiet this time, afraid to say something stupid.

"You get it now?" Mio asked. "Yes, you seduced me and you swayed my heart, but I still could walk away. But I didn't want to. I won't lie to you – even now I have no freakin' idea how you managed to do it, but you made me fall in love with you. Back in the day I used to think that I will have to marry for political reasons and that I'll be expected to listen to my fiancé and I hated that. Thus, if I had to choose a man, I would like one who'd follow me like a lost puppy and grovel at my feet."

She paused for a moment, closing her eyes and gathering her thoughts, because admitting the rest out loud wasn't easy for her.

"Yet, that's not what happened" she started. "You cared for me. You helped me. You understood me. Even if you did it because you were forced, you still managed to understand me. You held me when I fell, you shoved me when I needed a push. You accepted said you wanted to stay with me despite who I was. You wanted to stay with a poor broke bratty half-pint like me. And that's why I decided I wanted you to stay with me. So I chose you… and for the sake of having you… I let you have me."

Keima was still quiet, but Mio was glad he was. She still needed to finish talking.

"Of course, now I know more about you and about... stuff" she took up again carefully. "And I know you're not perfect. I won't lie to you and pretend I'm completely fine with your gaming… but as long as your virtual heroines remain virtual I can deal with that. I won't like you any less because of that, because that is who you are. And I still want to be with you. But I don't want to force you. You're precious to me… More precious than money. More precious than appearances…"

"More precious than your sandwiches?" he asked jokingly.

"Definitely" she replied, suddenly imagining Keima giving her omelette-soba bread as a White Day gift. She had to lick her lips at that thought, before turning back to reality.

She was in the middle of something important here!

"Nevermind that. The thing is… What I recently… very recently...realized is that… my feelings for you stopped being so simple as before. I never felt anything like that before… so I can't be sure as to what it really is... but..."

Mio paused for a moment, swallowing a lump in her throat, but then she raised her head, looking him in the eye and trying to stop the skin on her face from burning off from heat.

"...but I think I love you."

After all was said and done Mio still didn't feel particularly bad about her previous strategy, but now as she looked at Keima, she also realized that Urara was partially right.

He was tsundere.

It was obvious from the way his face looked like right now – red like a ripe cherry. Actually, Keima had been always weak against attack. Kosaka. Yui. That devil Rimyuel. Even Haqua's experiment.

It was miracle he had somehow managed to escape Yui's clutches till now, all things considered.

And somehow it felt like with this unexpected confession Mio managed to return the favor – him once confessing to her out of the blue.

"Well, I can't blame you for being surprised" she said when Keima kept trying and failing to return his face to normal color. "Earlier this day I wouldn't say it either… but somehow I realized today just how much you mean to me… so I decided I need to be more honest with you about my feelings. And about my expectations, I guess..."

She fell silent after that, looking the other way, the color of her face now matching Keima's. She looked at the door, expecting to be interrupted, but nothing like that happened.

Then she heard Keima groan. She looked at him only to see him hide his head in his hands, his fingers raking his head.

"Are you all right?" Mio asked.

"More or less" he said. "I'm… 'm just wondering how am I going to return the favor."

"Favor? What favor?" she questioned, before catching up and reddening. "Idiot! You don't have to return the favor of l-love… It defeats the purpose!"

"You're right" Keima said, looking at her, his usual careful and determined expression back. "I don't have to. But I can choose to. Isn't that the purpose?"

It was Mio's turn to remain silent, considering his words. But Keima didn't stop there.

"No offense, but the truth is… in a way, you're a pretty predictable heroine."

"Gee thanks" Mio said, but she half-smiled.

"What I want to say is, it's really easy to see the ending for your route" he continued. "It might not be the easiest route out there, but I could see it just fine. I could follow it if I wanted. Well, I did the date event, because I knew you deserved it, but I was reluctant to set further flags."

"And that was because I acted against the route recently, right?" she asked, but not really certain.

"Partially yes" Keima admitted. "But even if you hadn't acted like that… I still wouldn't follow that route to the letter."

"Why?" Mio questioned, feeling anxious out of a sudden.

"I have followed countless routes in my life" Keima said. "I have reached over ten thousands endings."

"Okay, that explain absolutely nothing" Mio noticed.

"I didn't want to follow your route, because it will lead us to the ending."

"You mean you don't want to… pursue ending with me?" Mio asked, trying to keep her voice from trembling.

"Precisely."

"But why?" Mio asked, sounding like a small kid that has just been denied a cookie. "Is it being with me that bad?"

"No" Keima replied, before offering a small smile. "And that is why I don't want to go to the ending. 'Cause I would rather stay on the route."

Mio straightened herself resulting in a typical 'prim and proper' ojōsama stance, her eyes blinking.

"I don't think I follow" she said slowly.

"Well, in games the ending is a goal and I can reach it really quickly" Keima explained. "This is something that I do in games, especially since I want to save the heroines. After the ending is reached I feel completion… but then I just start another game. Another heroine. But there are exceptions. Like Yokkyun. The only reason I led her to the ending is because I can always start again… but the real is not like that."

Mio kept looking at him, has face couldn't decide between furring her brows and blushing.

"You mean-" Mio started.

"I care for you and I want to lead you to the ending" Keima cut her off before hanging his head down in shame. "But I won't be able to restart it. If we reach the ending then it's over."

"In other words, you're struggling" Mio said, her lips threatening to form into a smile. "You want me to be happy, but you want to be happy as well. You don't want for it to end? You mean you want to be with me forever?"

"What?" Keima perked up in panic. "Wait, a moment! Forever is a bit much! I'm just saying I don't want to stop right now and-omph!" he couldn't finish, cause Mio jumped on him.

"Idiot!" she said, fighting the tears of joy. "Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! You're afraid of the ending? Well, you know what happens after? Life happens. Happiness. The ending is just opening of a door to a better world. This is a beginning. And when both of us are dead, only then there'll be ending. Death do us part kind of thing right?"

Keima's eyes widened.

"Are you proposing?" he asked, only for her to shove his face away and into the bed.

"O-of course not, you dumbass!" she yelled, her face red.

"Good, 'cause I'm not a fan of reverse proposals."

"A-anyway" Mio stuttered out. "I know you don't like things like touching and stuff, but…" she leaned closer to him, capturing his lips and even though it was brief she could still feel it. This unexplainable rush. This feeling of question was what took her so long to return to where she belonged? To what she wanted. She broke the kiss and looked at Keima. "But I would really want more of this" she gestured lamely to the two of them, to their closeness, her almost leaning over him. "I would like a lot more of that. If it's not a bother."

Keima laughed at that, making Mio blink and then narrow her eyes in flashing anger.

"What's so funny about that!?"

"Sorry" Keima replied. "It's just that I'm not the only one making wrong assumption."

"Huh?"

"It's true I disliked touching and physical contact, but that was when I considered real girls obstacles and nuisances. Well, my views changed compared to back then. A bit towards real girls in general. Considerably towards our… comrades. And greatly towards you."

"You say it as if you like me" she said before she realized it. "As if you truly like me."

Keima nodded. "Because I do. If what you say about the life after the ending is true, then I guess I should enter the route for real. Oh… and about the bath.I won't lie to you. It was short and a lot of steam and all" he averted his eyes and blushed. "But the look itself was… enticing."

"W-what do you mean?" she asked appalled. But was she really appalled?

Keima looked at her as if she was trying to be funny.

"You're cute, pretty and beautiful girl with high physical parameters" he told her. "I don't get what you don't get about that."

It took Mio two seconds to register what he had said and then, for the umpteenth during this conversation, her face erupted into flames and mix of anger and embarrassment washed over her.

If she had been someone else she might've noticed there was a tiny bit of pride there as well…

"Idiot! Pervert!" she shouted and swung her fist at him, but Keima intercepted her punch.

"Me?" he asked. "It was you who entered a mixed bath. Someone could thing you were doing it on purpose."

"What? How dare you-mhmmh" Mio shouted back, but was cut off when Keima counter-attacked in the most sneaky and most wonderful way imaginable – by kissing her fiercely.

All previous thoughts vanished from her mind instantly, replaced by the feeling of Keima lips on hers. She was shocked for a moment, especially when she realized how she had missed that particular feeling. She was just about to kiss him back with full force when Keima suddenly made the kiss deeper.

Much, much deeper.

That was something that Mio wanted, but it was too sudden and her emotions suddenly swelled, overflew and shot over the roof, throwing her brain into an alarm mode. She could react in several ways to that, so, naturally, she reacted in the worst possible way.

She shoved him away.

"What are you doing?" she asked, shocked.

"Optimizing" Keima said calmly.

"Huh?"

"We don't have much time until my family returns and I need to play my games later on anyway" Keima explained. "Thus we shouldn't waste time and use it as efficiently as possible."

"Waste time?" Mio repeated, understanding absolutely nothing.

"Yes. You're uncertain. Surprised. You take unnecessary breaks between kisses. You lose your focus while kissing. All of those waste time. This won't do."

She looked at him, incredulous.

"Of course, that doesn't mean I disliked those previous kisses" Keima continued. "They were good, but your skills are still lacking. And that means one thing. You need practice."

"Y-you mean you're training my kissing technique?" she asked.

"Precisely" Keima replied. "Actually, there's more to kissing than just simply kissing, but we'll get to that later."

Mio's face turned bright red from embarrassment and anger.

"What's wrong with my kisses?!" she demanded.

"Too one-sided" he replied evenly and without hesitation. "Nearly all the times we've kissed it was actually me kissing you. You were passive. You barely returned the just took, without giving."

"Wait, I mean, what?" panic was added to the mix. "You said those kisses were good!"

"They were" Keima admitted. "But it was thanks to me and my kissing experience. And you, quite frankly you suck at kissing."

Mio opened her mouth, but no words came. It was an insult, but somehow she wasn't offended all that much.

He got closer, his eyes sharp and confident and full of purpose and focused solely on her. And there was something akin to… hunger in his gaze? As if he wanted to kiss her. As if he truly wanted her. That very thought make her legs turn to jelly and a weak whimper seemed to stuck in her throat.

They way he looked right now. They way he acted. They way he spoke.

It was so hot…

"We've wasted enough time, so let's get to practice" his tilted his head to the side and Mio unknowingly copied his movement. "Besides, 'good' kisses can't fully satisfy me at all" he said, his lips mere millimeters from hers. "I'll settle on nothing less that 'godly'."

And he was kissing her again, his lips on hers, his hands somewhere on her body, she couldn't tell where, even though they left a hot trail wherever they touched, making it seem like she was some exceptionally soft and melting pile of goo.

No, Mio! Get a grip!

She drew her hand back and then punched Keima in the gut. Due to small amount of space it was a rather light punch, but Keima stopped the kiss anyway.

"What are you-"

She didn't let him finish. Instead flipped them over (frankly, she wasn't even sure how did she do that), now it was her eyes that bored into his.

And, boy was there hunger in her eyes.

"So you say my kisses suck and I need practice?" she asked, her voice past dangerous. "Then get ready, 'cause I'll show you practice!"

Keima only smiled arrogantly. "Bring it!"

And she did.

(* * *)

To be completely honest, Mio did feel bad about this. I mean being a couple meant they could, should do things like talking and getting to know each other. Moreover, it was their precious spring vacation – only weeks, days separated them from their third and final year of high school.

Kissing? They could do it anywhere, anytime, now they should do things related to the trip while they still could.

Yet, after their honest heart-to-heart talk kissing was what kept the occupied most of their alone time and Mio was completely lost in it. It was as if she had suddenly discovered the perfect outlet for her recent frustrations. The beacon that brightened her day. The perfect mend for her heart.

In her mind she tried to justify it… after all they had wasted a lot of effort on this 'whole holding back towards each other', so they were simply making up for the lost time. And it seemed Mio was really frustrated and she needed a lot of close contact to charge her batteries again.

Of course, Mio's mind was clear enough to quickly move back to her own room. And when Eri finally entered the room,froze and then asked what they were doing, Mio turned to her, smiled and answered with a single word.

"Practice."

And that was the first time in her life she paid this much attention to what she was learning.

The next days were kinda… fuzzy. Of course, Mio didn't spent them just making out with Keima. They still went out during the day and many activities, like skiing became much more entertaining.

For example, one time skiing Mio intentionally crashed into Keima in the neighborhood of some convenient patch of bushes that were barren of leaves, but dense enough to provide some covers. They have earned several scratches and some snow inside their clothes, but Mio didn't regret this at all.

And it seemed Eri relayed her discovery to Mari because the woman observed the couple while giving them more time to themselves. And Mio could swear she once heard Mari mouth "good job" on one occasion.

In the end Mio had to pinch herself while in bed and waiting to sleep to make sure all this wasn't a dream.

But then the next morning would come. Mio would wake up and soon after she was done with her morning routine Keima would knock on the door to her room so the two of them could eat breakfast together.

They even went on a second date, this time to the ice rink that Keima had scouted beforehand. And this time Mio didn't forget to take her whip, but no-one tried to interrupt them, so she didn't have chance to use it. Well, she'd rather have her whip and not need it than need it and not have it.

And the ice rink was a pleasant experience, yet it was also… restraining. Ice was not dancing floor, skates were not dancing shoes, winter jacket wasn't a dress and dark winter afternoon wasn't a beautifully lit ballroom.

Mio suddenly felt a need to dance with Keima for real and if there was anything she regretted about her lost life of a daughter of company president then it was that she'll never have a chance to experience a real honest Cinderella scenario like that again.

However, Mio didn't let it discourage her. She still had a good time on the date and treasured this feeling of happiness. She didn't even notice all those commoners around her. To her it was just her and Keima, enjoying their youth and each other.

One evening she even had Keima feed her the rest of the marshmallows.

However, all good things must come to an end as the last day of the trip has finally come.

In the morning the Katsuragis and Mio packed their stuff, checked out of their hotel before noon and went on one last journey to the ski slope. After two more hours they had to go to the bus to the airport and at 3 o'clock they were already in the air.

This time there were less passengers on board than the last time. Moreover, Mari grabbed Eri and together they sat down on some other row, leaving Keima and Mio alone.

Mio made a mental note to thank the orange-haired woman as soon as possible.

The funny thing was that even though Mio was flying away from the relaxing vacation and going back to daily life, her part-time job and maze that was high school, she didn't feel bad at all.

After all, she gained so much during this trip and this would remain with her from now on. The thought made her smile.

She looked to the side and noticed that Keima was playing his games as usual. Mio smiled again.

Some things never change.

Out of curiosity, she looked at his PFP. She wasn't completely immune to the fact that there were some other women in Keima's life, but on the other hand those girls were purely virtual. Non-existent. And Mio was much, _much_ closer to Keima than any of those 2D girls.

She continued to watch Keima play and skillfully navigate the route. Maybe even too skillfully.

"It seems this is one of those games you've played once before."

Keima glanced at her. "Yes… I sometimes was playing that during the trip as well."

"I remember now" Mio told him. "That's the same game I've played when we were flying to Hokkaidō!"

"That's right."

"You really like this game, don't you?" Mio asked.

To her surprise Keima stopped playing and turned to look at her properly.

"Yes, I like this game very much" he said. "It's special."

"Why?" Mio wondered. "Is there Yokkyun there or what?" she asked with a hint of fear.

"No" he replied before waving his PFP in front of Mio. "Doesn't it ring any bells?"

"Yes, I've played this a week ago on the plane, but I didn't get anywhere, remember?"

"Oh, I do" Keima smiled and there was something hidden in that smile. "It's you who don't remember."

"Don't remember what?"

"This game" Keima practically smirked. "Is the one you bought me for Christmas."

Mio stayed still for a second and then her eyes grew wide before she turned away.

"I-is that so?" she asked, her eyes examining the blanket of clouds outside the window, a small blush adorning her cheeks. This way she couldn't see Keima's smirk. He raised the arm rest between him and Mio and then laid his head down on her lap.

Mio's reaction was instantaneous.

"Wh-what are you doing!?" she asked with a quiet shout, voice laced with panic, her complexion darkening a few shades.

"I don't feel well in airplanes, you know that" he said calmly. "And here… it's nice and comfortable."

Mio looked at him with her mouth slightly agape and then averted her eyes, but Keima knew she was checking if anyone could see them, but the only other person in their row was sleeping.

"Well… I guess this one time it's fine…" she managed.

"Thanks" Keima told her. "I owe you one."

"Don't mention it" Mio told him reluctantly, but Keima knew she was thinking of ways he could repay the favor.

He nodded mostly to himself and returned to his game, feeling the best he has ever felt if any kind of vehicle. When he thought it couldn't get any better, he noticed Mio's hand on his head, her fingers entangling themselves into his hair, stroking softly, absently.

Keima smiled.

This year's spring break was promising to be better than ever.

 **(* * *)**

 **So there it is – the conclusion to the whole trip mega event!**

 **We have the White Day (and the misty mentions of Valentines... why the hell didn't I cover the actual Valentines? It would give me the excuse to mention practically all the other girls *hangs head in shame again*). We have another stairs scene (although a bit more dangerous). We have a bath scene (my personal favorite or close to it *wink* *wink*). We have some angst and Mio nearly breaking at the seams...**

 **...and then comes the talk. And two-sided misunderstandings are resolved.**

 **And then goes the rest of the trip... which goes by quite... pleasantly for our couple *wink* *wink*.**

 **And then we learn that the galge Keima kept playing on the plane was the very one Mio bought him before. Guess she should've remembered it better, right? ;)**

 **Well, the thing I'm worried about here is that the trip was originally more of a filler idea... I mean, I just wanted to do it without really thinking about involving it with the main plot. But then I changed my mind and I wanted to cover as many of my plot ideas during this trip as I could...**

 **...and I'm worried that the final result is not completely consistent and making sense in all the necessary places... but I was doing what I could. Sorry, if the final result is not as perfect as you would like it to be.**

 **Thus, I hope this chapter is at least moderately believable to you and characters stay in their... well... characters.**

 **I also hope you don't mind the physical side of Mio and Keima's relationship. This is something I haven't shown all that much in AyumiNomi (though that doesn't mean Ayumi was not making out with Keima just as intensely *wink* *wink*)...**

 **...that is why I would like to know what you think of that particular development. Do you want to see more of it in future chapters? Less of it?**

 **There are two more things I have in mind, but I won't say them just yet. I only hope I won't forget about them when the time comes.**

 **Also, there's something really great and really important that happened in this chapter... but it actually happened accidentally. Namely, Mio starts crying in this chapter. When I was writing this part I was like "well, it's okay, they are tears of joy this time" then I was like "wait a freakin' moment"... and then I remembered what happened a few chapters before that...**

 **...when they first got together, Mio was crying from sadness/anger and Keima promised himself he'll make sure next time Mio'll cry the tears of happiness. And that just happened! Keima kept his promise! Hooray! The thing is, I kinda didn't predict it. I mean, I didn't forget about it and was planning to make it go like that somewhere... but the actual solution came to me earlier, by itself and without my actual intent.**

 **So I'm either dumb or just had luck with that one. Or both.**

 **Some anime fans might've also noticed that I used (I originally typed "sued" here xD) one line Mio used in the anime. The one with eating sweets. In manga there's no such line however and Mio in this chapter kinda lampshades this fact, leaning on the fourth wall a bit. I just thought it would be funny.**

 **As for bath scene... I once again referenced the KamiNomi pilot – Flag 000, where character Mio Tsumagawa (I'm surprised I actually remembered the surname right), the precursor to Mio Aoyama is introduced... and has a bath scene with (outdoor?) jungle hot spring scene.**

 **Well, that's it for now, I guess.**

 **As always, I kindly ask you to follow, favorite and review this story. Especially now, as another important point in-story have been completed. Constructive criticism is appreciated as well.**

 **I'm not sure when the next chapter will be posted, as we are slowly, but surely getting to the ending and things should be much smoother for Keima and Mio from now on. That doesn't mean there won't be certain... events... but I need to figure the plot details. Wrap things up. And I also have work to do in real life and next few weeks could be... difficult. We'll see.**

 **And yes, Zelgadis, I remember about the Urara and maid of honor thing.**

 **See you next time!**


	16. Flag 56: Of bartenders and letters

**Hello everyone! I'm back!**

 **Anyway, as you've probably noticed, I'm a little late and I'm sorry for that. I would like to say that I have a really big chapter to compensate for that, but unfortunately, the chapter was getting (too) hard to understand, so I decided to cut it in half. On the bright side, the other "half-chapter" is mostly ready, so I should post it by Sunday. There are some other issues, but we will talk about them so other time.**

 **Also, this story has exceeded one hundred thousand words in chapters alone (excluding author's notes). That's both good and bad.  
**

 **Back to our usual agenda. I want to thank all of my faithful readers for the support for this story. As usual here are the replies for the reviews from the last chapter:**

 **Sir Sleeps-a-lot:** Thanks for the review! Yeah, I kinda enjoy one-liners more than I should. Yours are welcome as well. xD I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter. And yes, tears of happiness were nice touch. Well, over half of the stuff I write lately is born in a spur of a moment and then I want to desperately add it and I end tailoring the rest of the chapter, so it fits xD. And thank you for the correction xD. And don't worry about Valentines Day… hopefully we'll have enough stories to cover that topic. Repeatedly. Haha… I would like to write my stories for me first. I'm waaay behind, you know? XD

 **Leyknar:** Hello and thank you. Quoting "The expendables": "you can't beat a classic" xD. But Yui kidnapping Keima… I wonder if I can squeeze it somewhere… I'll think about it, but I assure you, Keima won't think it's funny xD.

 **ZelgadisGW:** Lalala… I can't hear you xD. I already said it above: "you can't beat a classic" xD. You're right about the number of events influencing the relationship. As about when the chance happened. Who knows? Real life is vague and unpredictable. You don't need that many reasons to like someone. And I totally agree. It was *aww* moment. ;)

 **Normality Is Key:** *drops his head down in shame* So many errors and typos… I just hope this chapter won't be even worse in that regard. Anyway, I'm glad I managed to entertain you and sorry for the drink thing :). Umm… about the horizontal tango thing… *cough* yeah… Well, majority of KamiNomi girls are more or less tsunderes, but I don't think there's any real yandere. Neither Kanon, Shiori, Yui, Dokurō nor quite fit it. Even Kaori (or my vision of it) doesn't seem like a viable choice. But fear not… we still have danderes, derederes and kuuderes to go through xD. I kinda know the 'and' thing is wrong and I'm not arguing with you. I just love to use it that way and can't seem to be able to convey the meaning otherwise. Just sayin'. P.S. I've noticed the name chance. Curiously, I don't remember anyone else here using actual spaces in their name…

 **Sasori69:** Thank you, glad you liked the chapter :). Is Keima, or Mio for that matter thinking about doing lewd stuff? Highly unlikely for now. But the fact that their relationship became much more physical is dead certain ;). And no-one can escape hormones xD.

 **Shawn Raven:** Hello. As usual your review is very much appreciated :). Thus, I'll take the "son of a gun" bit as a compliment. :) Yeah, it's surprising how mishandled simple things can get. Writing the outcome my readers are not expecting is always my goal :). And thank you very much for the grade. I hope I deserve it. Yes, Keima was very much tried to make her happy and yes, he completes her to some extent. He liberated her and made her click with the world, so to speak. Aah… the manly tears… a sight to behold ;). I take it your enjoyed the "make out mode" and its parameters? :). And yes, door swings both ways in their relationship, so to speak. And I'm really, really, really, really glad you love it :). And whether it's a smooth road or full of bumps from now on… I guess you'll have to wait and see :).

 **Guest:** I'm glad you like my story :). I understand your concern, but the promise of the story is that the girls move on, so they can be happy. Giving their love back would bring us back to square one. And preserving memories would be even worse. How a girl can fall in love and marry in her twenties when she has memories of a life-time spent intimately with another person?

 **Alrighty then! Without further ado, let's get to the chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Newsflash: apparently the site limits the length of chapter title. The intended title was: "Of bartenders, dinners and letters".**

 **(* * *)**

"Here you go, Mio-chan!" Mari said as she handed Mio a small tray. "Table three."

"Three?" Mio repeated, eyeing the tray, as if it was about to bite her.

"Yes" Mari confirmed, while cutting another slice of cake. "Is something wrong?"

"No" Mio replied, although not completely honest. She picked the tray and started walking towards table three.

It was several days after the end of her trip with Keima, the third year of high school was growing near and Mio was back to her part-time job as a waitress. Today it was just her and Mari as Eri was out with her friends and Keima was in his room, working on his gaming backlog.

The need to stay here and work didn't make Mio sad though. This job had many advantages over her old one. Mari was a very considerate employer and the better things were between Mio and Keima the more generous Mari became.

Another obvious advantage was the fact that Mio was working at her boyfriend's house. Of course, during work there was little time to interact with Keima, but it was still a plus, as she didn't need to waste time to walk between her working place and his house. Actually, nowadays Mio was spending more time here than she did at her own home.

However, there were also some minor disadvantages to her current employment status.

First was the fact, that she was kinda leeching off Keima's family. Yes, she knew her success so far wouldn't happen without this, but she was still very uncomfortable with her home budget relying on her job here, even though she had no other means to acquire money for now.

The second problem was a little more annoying.

Mio arrived at the table and, as per her waitress instructions,tried to adopt a more "dere dere" expression, offering a small smile.

"Here are your orders" she said in a friendly voice, putting the cake slices on the table. "Bon appétit!"

The customers, two teenager boys nodded slightly, but they seemed more interested in the waitress rather than the food.

Mio gave them one last soft (but not too soft) smile before turning around and sighing.

She spent a good part of her life cursing her physical appearance, but now she was forced to reconsider. Or maybe the thing she heard about before was true – girls in love seemed prettier.

But there was that other saying. Girls with boyfriends were way more popular with guys than singles. Of course, it was logical, even without adding "the forbidden fruit" stuff, but it was still annoying. I mean, the guys were obviously here to check her out. One of them even tried to make a pass at her. And they sat by table three – the one that already has been labeled by Mio, and even Eri, as "table to check out staff". And those two guys today. That was their third order. They ordered only cheap stuff and were sitting here for over an hour now. Thankfully, they weren't stalkers or molesters and their looks were more geared into "cute moe" than "lewd ogling". At least for now.

Hmpf, that was why she disliked commoners. Maybe she should revert into the "tsun tsun" mode? That would scare those two guys away and they won't be back again. However, that would upset Mari and Mio wouldn't risk that. She just had to suck it up, put on her best smile and act as she usually did around commoners. She could do it. If she got anything going on for her then it was her acting skills. She probably could work as an actress on live-action anime adaptations for tsundere characters. Mio was sure there was some manga with a character she could play.

She walked back to the counter and sit on one of the stools, while Mari was behind the counter, cleaning. The damned table three. She could still feel their stares. Maybe this uniform skirt was a little too short.

"A tough day at work, huh?"

Mio's head snapped up and she blinked. The person behind the counter wasn't Mari.

It was Keima.

The fact that he was here wasn't so surprising. Keima was helping in the café sometimes. And he was doing it more eagerly now. Whether it had more to do with 'learning about the real' or looking for opportunities to spend more time with her… Mio didn't know.

However, normally Keima would wear his shirt or, if he wanted to seem in uniform, his school clothes. Today was different though. Keima was wearing something that jogged Mio's memory. A barista uniform. Similar, if not exactly the same, to the one he was wearing during Ayumi Takahara's reconquest. He was cleaning one of the cups.

Mio didn't hate the change of clothes. Keima was looking better than usual and usual Mio thought he was looking darn good, which was only magnified by her rose-tinted glasses (yes, Mio had those).

Scratch glasses. Mio's mind already ventured ahead of her. She imagined herself not as a waitress in a family café, but as a girl in a blue dress, sitting in one of those bars and Keima as the bartender.

The girl would be in the bar because some bad guy did her wrong, cheated on her and betrayed her. She would sit there, lost, drowning her sorrow and bitterness in the liquor she couldn't hold. The bartender would approach her, appraise her with his experienced eye. He has seen many women like her. He'd know why she was here, but he would ask anyway.

A cliché setting, Mio knew that. But she didn't care. She wasn't really sure why she was imagining that anyway. She was down-to-earth kinda girl. She wasn't some soppy romantic…

Oh, who she was kidding… she was a seventeen year old girl who lived the life of a modern princess until a while ago and now she was in love with a guy who was all about game clichés…

And would that really be such a bad scenario?

The girl at the bar would tell the bartender her story and he would listen. He would comfort her and she would open herself to him and, driven by his comforting words, his handsome face, the alcohol and the desire for vengeance, she would seduce him, bring him to her apartment and-"Kyaaah!"

Mio said the last part out loud, making Keima jump in surprise and almost drop his cup.

"Wh-what was that for?" he asked when he composed himself.

"Nothing!" Mio told him, her face all red. "I didn't think of anything weird at all!"

'Ugh… that was a suspiciously specific denial, wasn't it', Mio thought as she cursed inwardly. She could swear her walls and defenses were getting more and more vulnerable and open whenever Keima was close, resulting in embarrassing situations, which could lead her to reacting badly. However, this time Keima only chuckled, somehow defusing the situation.

"That's cute" he told her, shooting her his gentleman smile, reminding Mio of the final night of her conquest. And of the bartender from her daydream. She blushed again.

Why did she imagine the last part of that daydream, anyway?

"Where's your mother?" she asked, mostly just to say something.

Keima pointed to the far part of the café, where Mari was sitting by one of the tables, chatting with one of the regulars, probably her friend.

Keima interrupted her thoughts by clearing his throat. "You haven't answered my question."

Mio was quiet for a moment until she realized he was referring to the question directly before she started to daydream.

"It's not tough per se" she replied, sighing. "It's just…"

"Just?" he prodded on.

"It's a job that has you to deal with customers. You need to smile and be nice even when the customers are morons and jerks. I know this from working at the bakery."

"Our customers are bothering you?" he asked, his eyes darting to all the people currently in the café, his gaze staying a little longer on table three.

"No, not really" Mio said quickly, then added after seeing Keima's disbelieving glance she added. "It's nothing unusual. They're just... guys."

"I see" Keima said, his voice not betraying anything. "Any way I could help with that?"

Mio gave his barista uniform a glance, an evil smile on her face. "Well, a cup of coffee – your coffee – wouldn't hurt" she said.

Keima nodded slightly and moved to his coffee smiled gently, but the moment was interrupted by a call from a customer.

From table three of course.

"Waitress!" the call was somewhere between polite and demanding and Mio could do nothing but put on her best business smile and approach the table.

"Yes?"

"I would like to order another slice of this cake" the first guy said with a sheepish smile. "It's delicious."

Mio forced herself not to cringe. The cake in questions was the cheapest one and usually wasn't ordered at all. Moreover, it was obvious the guy was lying just to get on her good side.

"Got it" she jotted the order down on her notepad. "Anything else?"

"Yes" the other guy said suddenly. Mio had a feeling it was tied to him seeing her talk with Keima a moment ago, because he was looking tense. Tense and daring. "What time do you get off… work?"

"W-what?" she asked.

"How about you go on a date with me, babe?" the boy continued, even more sure of himself, apparently taking Mio's surprise as good sign, while his companion looked at him with clear betrayal.

Babe? Mio felt her eyebrow twitch and a vein on her temple started to pulse, working as a safety valve, venting the pressure and preventing her blood from straight out boiling in rage.

He was hitting on her! This commoner was actually hitting on a girl with a boyfriend during her working hours! Well, it's not like it hadn't happened before. But this was the most brazen attempt yet. And it broke the last straw. If it was just about the guy then she would just coldly ignore him, but it wasn't that simple. Keima was in the café and Mio refused to give him even a shadow of doubt about her loyalty to him.

Moe? Customer rights? To hell with that! She needed to give the Casanova wannabe a good old slap! Or a dozen.

She swung back her hand and twisted her hips, building her strength and she saw the first sign of fear in their eyes.

And then her hand was stopped by some other, familiar the?

"Ah, there you are" it was Keima who appeared out of nowhere behind her, his right hand grabbing her own behind her back. They were close, much closer than employees were supposed to be. And Keima was smiling. Mio felt her body grow hot. Whether due to her anger or the closeness, she couldn't tell.

And what was with that 'there you are' act?They had talked not a minute ago, so no-one would buy it!

"Are you okay, Mio?" Keima addressing her publicly by name made her face grow even hotter. In reaction to this he put his other hand to her forehead, as if checking her temperature.

"K-Keima?" she uttered back. The boy in question didn't reply immediately. Not with words anyway, as he moved his hand from hers, only to place it on her waist. He then wrapped his hand around her waist securely.

And possessively.

"I think we should be getting ready" he said, his fingers starting to gently trace small circles through her clothes.

"Ready?" she repeated.

"Your mother invited me for dinner today, remember?" his hand moved from her waist towards her hip. His eyes pinned hers, so she couldn't look towards table three, but she was certain the two customers jaws were below sea level.

"Oh" she somehow managed despite her dry throat. "But what about the customers?"

"Customers?" Keima repeated and then glanced briefly towards the table three, his gaze moving over the two boys as if they weren't there. "I don't see any customers."

"B-but-"

"We cannot be late. Let's go" he paused for a moment, as if contemplating something. "Babe."

That was too much for Mio. She simply took the offered hand and let herself be guided out of the café and upstairs.

(* * *)

"Thanks" Mio told him when the door to his room closed behind her. "For helping me back there."

Keima just nodded.

"Still, you didn't have to do that" she continued.

"I kinda did" he replied. "You're my girlfriend. I have to protect you from background characters that only serve to flesh out the route."

"Well, I can take care of myself… mostly" she said. Keima didn't like the way she smiled after that. "Admit it."

"Admit what?" he asked.

"That you were jealous."

His poker face didn't falter when he replied. "I was just overprotective."

"So I'm not worth getting jealous over?"

"Of course you are worth getting jealous over" he told her.

"But you didn't get jealous" she reminded him.

"Well, that's because" he corrected his glasses. "I'm a god."

"Riiight" Mio drawled. "Still, god or not, that doesn't give you the right to call me 'babe'."

Keima frowned just a little bit at this. "You don't like it?"

"Well, if you used it like that idiot did then I don't like it" she admitted, before blushing a bit. "B-but otherwise it's fine, I guess… Just don't use it in public."

"Roger" he replied with a salute which made her laugh out.

"Still" she said when she composed herself. "You did call me 'babe', you know? I expe-demand a compensation."

"What do I have to do, ojōsama?"

"I'm not ojōsama or anything of the sort anymore" she reminded him as she grabbed his hand and guided him to his bed. Keima knew what she had in mind, so he sat down and Mio quickly followed suit.

Only she sat on his lap.

That was rather recent development really. A girl sitting on a boy's lap was kinda big step for Mio, even if aforementioned girl and boy were a couple frequently making out.

Moreover, it first started as a simple accident.

Mio and Keima were doing their stuff one day when Eri broke something in the other room. Mio, who was reluctant to let anyone see them, reacted by jumping further into Keima's arms and landing onto his lap. Only after she was done freaking over someone walking in on them she noticed their position and started freaking about that. It was a lot of embarrassment, but after she calmed down Mio quickly realized the benefits of this new development – with her height deficit, those fifteen centimeters of elevation did wonders to her kissing experience.

Moreover, she came to view this as a privilege of sorts. Despite all that happened, Mio Aoyama remained greedy and a snob. She was greedy for Keima's attention. She wanted things and they were _her_ things. Things like the right to sit on his lap. No other girl in this reality could do this.

Mio stopped thinking about this when Keima embraced her and brought her closer. Well, she worked enough for today, so she deserved a little reward for her hard work, right?

(* * *)

"You know I don't mind any of this" Keima said some pleasurable moments later. "But I hope you do realize me mentioning the dinner with your mother wasn't a lie?"

"I know" Mio grinned cheekily, glad her 'practicing' had paid off. "But we still have some time left and at my place we won't have time for ourselves, so I want to use it while we still can."

Keima nodded. "Fair enough. I just never thought you'd be so enthusiastic about activities like this" he thought out loud.

"Neither did I" Mio admitted, before her voice turned accusatory. "Besides, you have only yourself to blame, God of Conquest" she teased.

"Don't be so modest, my lady" he told her. "You played a big part in that as well" he chuckled.

"Damn right I did" she said before leaning in closer again. "And you still owe me that coffee."

Her lips were millimeters from his when she curled them into a smile and whispered one more word.

"Babe."

(* * *)

The trip to Mio's house was mostly quiet. They went by bus and Keima used this opportunity to play some games while Mio rested her head on his shoulder.

It was a long time since she felt this relaxed. She didn't even have to worry about school. Not right now anyway. Actually, she didn't have any particular worries at the time.

Well, maybe except for Yui. When the drummer had been appearing before it was annoying, but Mio at least knew to expect her.

But now it was quiet. It was as if Yui wasn't there. Or, more likely, she was plotting something. Perhaps Mio should play matchmaker a bit. She distinctly remembered guys pining after the drummer even after her conquest. For sure there was some submissive guy who would be a good match for Yui.

Of course, Yui might've simply given up or been scared away by Mio officially dating Keima, but the blonde didn't believe that. Maybe Yui just didn't know? The new school year hasn't started yet, so from the girls only Eri and the devil guardians knew for sure. Come to think of it… the guardians could probably see more than Mio wanted them to see. Ugh… she should probably talk with Haqua about Keima's privacy.

Aah… she forgot that two more girls knew.

Tsukiyo and Urara.

Soon after her return trip Mio had told those two that she and Keima were not only official, but also closer (while avoiding too many private details).

Their reaction? Surprise or judging? No. Joy and celebration of Mio's success? No. Jealousy? No (well, maybe a little from Urara).

Their first reaction was Tsukiyo smiling victoriously, while Urara handed her some money. Mio demanded an explanation. It turned out the moon-lover and alien-enthusiast made a bet over the outcome of the trip to Hokkaidō. Mio wasn't sure what was more surprising: Tsukiyo believing Mio will be successful or Urara betting against her.

She kinda wanted to get back at Urara by threatening to revoke the promise to designate her as maid of honor, but a glint in Tsukiyo's vigilant eyes stopped her from bringing that particular topic.

Mio was brought back from her memories when she heard a familiar sound of people making out. She turned around and noticed a boy and a girl a few seats behind them who seemed very interested in each other. They probably thought they were alone, cause Mio and Keima were the only other passengers and they didn't stood out.

Mio just snorted. Commoners and their public displays of indecency.

Keima with his earpieces on didn't even hear any of that.

(* * *)

"Welcome, Keima-kun" Mikoto Aoyama greeted the boy as soon as she opened the door.

"Thank you… um… Mikoto" Keima replied, still not used to addressing the older woman as that.

Mio narrowed her eyes a bit at that. It could be a pretty natural greeting. On the other hand, her mother's clothes was something one would wear for a restaurant outing. Or a date.

This made Mio a little uneasy. She was barely done taking her first clumsy steps in her relationship with Keima. But her mother was another story. She was a mature, confident woman, who still held a lot of pride, grace and nobility.

Mio shook her head. Did she just think of her own mother as a love rival?

Maybe she was just getting paranoid...

However, she put that thought aside when she noticed that the dinner was only half-ready.

"Mom, what's this?" she asked, indicating to the table.

"I'm sorry my dear, but I had to work late today…"

"I can wait" Keima said simply.

Mikoto smiled at him. "Very well. You can go to the other room. It won't take long."

Keima nodded and started walking. Mio meant to follow him, but her mother put a hand on her shoulder.

"And where do you think you're going, young lady?" she asked. "You're going to help me."

"What?" Mio questioned. Surely, her mother was jesting.

"It will go faster if we do it together" Mikoto explained.

"Then Keima could help as well."

"He's a guest. You have enough manners to know better than that" her mother scolded. "It's your duty as a hostess to prepare the meal."

"I'm not exactly the hostess" Mio said, then she looked at the kitchen and quickly realized the greatest issue here. "I can't cook."

"Then it's high time to start learning" Mikoto said simply.

"What for?" Mio asked.

"You don't have chefs and servants anymore" Mikoto said patiently.

"I know that!" Mio replied, a little too forcefully, while trying to help her mother by doing what she was doing. With moderate success at best. "But I can still just dine out. Besides, Keima would certainly make a better cook than me."

"But he's your boyfriend, not your servant" her mother said. Mio just snorted in response. Like she didn't know that. "Do you expect your husband to cook for you?"

"He's not my husband yet!" Mio cried out, before remembering that Keima was in another room and she covered her mouth.

"You don't want him to be?" Mikoto asked.

"That's not the issue here!" Mio replied. Ugh… why was everyone mentioned marriage, daughters- and sisters-in-law and maids of honors? If this goes on then soon the grandchildren question will start for real.

"Did you cook for papa even once you married?" she asked, trying to bounce the topic back.

"Of course" Mikoto said and when she saw Mio surprised look she smiled. "Your father was never poor, but that doesn't mean he was always living as company president" she paused, as if reminiscing something. "Actually, your father preferred home cooking over anything else."

"That must've been before I was born" Mio remarked.

Mikoto laughed. "I remember when you were very little, you would sometimes follow me around kitchen and imitate me using your toys."

Mio blushed, hoping it was a joke.

"And I used to cook for your father before we married as well" Mikoto continued before looking at Mio a little more seriously. "It may sound old-fashioned, cheap and common for you, but there's a lot of truth in saying that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Mio would like to deny that, especially since Keima didn't particularly care about his food (as long as it wasn't alive and moving bentō from hell). Unfortunately, she couldn't deny all her mother was saying.

And while she definitely didn't want to be a housewife, she couldn't stop herself from imagining Keima complementing her cooking. She could figure out one dish and cook it once every week or two.

Maybe she should learn some more domestic skills from Mari and Eri.

(* * *)

A few minutes later Mikoto surmised Mio contributed to the dinner enough and sent her to check on Keima to avoid too much cooking damage. Mio entered the other room and, sure enough, Keima was sitting on the ground with a PFP in hands.

"You do know we have chairs here?" Mio asked as she took her place next to him.

Keima nodded.

"You really are a game nut, aren't you?" she teased.

"It's weird coming out from someone who hides half a dozen sandwiches in her desk" he retorted.

"I-i just missed them on the trip!" Mio defended. "If anything, the fact that I haven't eaten those yetis a proof of my willpower!" she then pointed an accusatory finger at him. "Besides, just because we're together doesn't mean you can wander around my room and look through my stuff!" she accused.

He didn't look inside her clothes drawers, did he?

"Of course, I can't. And I didn't. I just made a guess" Keima replied with a sly smile, shutting Mio up.

"Smart ass" she muttered after a while.

"I prefer the term 'genius'" Keima remarked.

"Genius, my ass" Mio countered, before her voice turned demanding. "Get over here. I demand-"

"A compensation" Keima finished for her. "I know."

So he understood her without words. She could live with that.

"What's so funny?" she asked when they separated a few moments later and Keima chuckled.

"Nothing, I just remembered the bus" Keima replied and, seeing Mio's questioning gaze, he continued. "Those two background characters. The ones making out."

"What about them?" Mio asked casually, trying not to show surprise at him noticing the couple. Then again, Keima was pretty observant when he wanted to be.

"They bothered you" Keima explained.

Mio groaned. "Of course they bothered me. They were swapping spit in public. No shame or decency" she defended.

"That's true" Keima admitted. "But it really sounds weird coming from you."

"What do you mean?" she asked. Keima wasn't smiling, but she somehow felt she wouldn't like his answer.

"Well, in private you're pretty much just as shameless as them. Actually... you were looking kinda jealous that they could do it like that and you couldn't."

"I have a public image to uphold" Mio said simply. "Besides, are you calling me a hypocrite?"

"Oh yes" Keima smirked. "You're a big hypocrite."

As he predicted, Mio didn't get angry and smiled instead.

"That's right. But no-one else has to know about it" she said wagging her finger in front of him as in warning before leaning closer. "It will be our little s-e-c-r-e-t" she whispered into his ear.

And then the door opened.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, lovebirds" Mrs. Aoyama said. "But the dinner is ready."

(* * *)

The dinner went without major surprises though it was obvious Mio would've enjoyed it more if it was just her and Keima alone. But sheknew it wasn't that simple. It wasn't just hospitality or good manners that made Mikoto Aoyama invite Keima over.

This was a test.

Poor or not, Mio was still a girl descending from family of businessmen. And even without that she was still a precious daughter of her mother. And her mother considered her somewhat naive. However, Keima was already tested during Christmas, so there had to be another reason. And Mio knew exactly what that reason was.

The trip.

It was hard to hide the obvious fact that Mio returned from this trip changed. She was now visibly more relaxed and, quite simply, more happy. Moreover, fortunately or not, Mio told her mother about some of the details of the trip, including the confession.

And that last part was why Mikoto Aoyama felt the need to test Keima again. But it wasn't just that. She was making sure he was a good boyfriend… no a good and smart match and suitable future husband for her daughter(Mio stopped herself from following that train of thought). Mikoto was making sure Keima wasn't using Mio and that she wasn't too dependent and too infatuated with him.

Part of Mio understood that. Those were natural concerns of a mother. If her papa was alive he would be ever harsher towards Keima. Mio was her daddy's little girl, after all. But another part of her felt uneasy again, as her mother regarded Keima with a careful eyes hidden by a polite smile as her lips laid another trap.

Aah… women and their tricks.

Mio wasn't exactly blaming Keima for labeling real girls as needlessly complex and mysterious creatures. Strangely enough Keima either didn't notice Mikoto's intentions or didn't let it show and Mio didn't know which one was more probable.

Or preferable.

Fortunately, Keima could avoid a question and steer a conversation pretty well, that's for sure.

"So… tell me Keima" Mikoto started shooting again. "That time during Christmas, did you already plan to seduce my daughter back then?"

The question was a little too direct and rude, assuming that boys and men couldn't be trusted, but that was actually a concealed gambit. This move will cause Mikoto to lose a little of her honor and might make Keima dislike her a bit, but by doing this the woman could bait him into making some imprudent comment or exposing himself and his intents.

But to no avail.

"I assume you refer to the kiss under the mistletoe" Keima replied with a straight face. "That was actually an accident on both ends."

"You must be joking, I clearly saw you lean into each other" Mikoto noticed.

"That is true" Keima admitted. "However that wasn't planned or was some invisible unexplainable forces involved."

"Oh, I think I know what kind of forces you're talking about" Mikoto said.

'You've no idea' Mio thought, the faces of the two devils responsible for her second kiss with Keima appearing in her mind.

"Speaking of seduction" Keima shot back, smiling. "I don't know if this is experience or natural talent, but I think you should know that Mio proved quite adept in that area."

"I-idiot!" the girl in question turned away, her face the color of a ripe cherry.

"I assure you my daughter has next to none experience in that regard" Mikoto replied. "That must be talent."

Mio forced herself not to growl. That sounded as if her mother was assuring Keima of her chastity or her mother trying to advertise her now? Who's side was she on? Or maybe it was Keima's strategy to take Mikoto's attention off him? If that was the case then it worked and Keima's chess piece of a king once again reigned victorious or at least stood his ground against Mikoto's queen. At least with regards to questions.

Because as for manners it didn't go as well. Mio knew Keima could play a gentleman and that his manners were above most commoners when he tried, but he was still a gamer that didn't know all that much about higher class and their events. Mikoto's eyebrow furrowed a bit every time Keima did some faux pas, no matter how small.

This entire… interrogation made Mio a little worried. She loved Keima. She could no longer deny that. So watching her mother test him like that was unnerving. Couldn't she act more like Mari? Just warn Keima to take good care of her and be done?What would Mio do if her mother suddenly disapproved of Keima?

Fortunately, Mio's concerns were proven unfounded in the end as when the dinner ended and Keima was readying to leave, her mother pulled Mio aside and Mio could hear her whisper.

"Good job, you've chosen well."

Mio just nodded and then put on her jacket to at least accompany Keima to the apartment gate or perhaps to the bus stop. That way she could both avoid talking with her mother and get a goodbye kiss.

She had just walked out of her apartment when she saw something. An envelope was tucked into their letterbox.

"Mom!" she called through still open door as she reacher for the envelope. "Did you check the letter box today?"

She checked the addressee, which was obviously her mother.

"Oh… today was busy so I forgot" her mother replied. "How silly of me."

But Mio wasn't listening. She was busy rereading the name of the sender.

This… could it be?

"What's wrong, Mio?" Mikoto asked as she approached her daughter. Mio showed her the address on the envelope.

Mikoto widened her eyes. Then she opened the letter and started reading.

"Is it bad?" Mio asked after half a minute of silence, her face looking really worried.

"I don't know yet" Mikoto replied, looking at the letter as if to try and find some secret meaning. "I think it's just a notice. And a summon."

"Umm…" the third voice said quietly, making both women jump in place. They have completely forgotten that Keima was still here, just standing there and adjusting his scarf in the chill early spring evening air.

"Mio, could you be so good and walk your boyfriend to the bus stop?" Mikoto asked, clearly meaning to give herself some time to analyze the letter.

"Yeah, sure" Mio replied, taking Keima's hand. "Let's go."

He didn't resist.

(* * *)

The bus stop was not that far from the apartment, so the walk was quite short and quiet. Mio was looking a little downcast, apathetic and lost in thought, not paying much attention to the coldness, yet she didn't let go of Keima's hand.

Soon they've reached the small, old neglected and empty bus stop. A quick glance proved what Keima knew already – the bus would be here in less than five minutes.

After a few moments Mio finally broke the silence.

"You're not asking about anything" she noticed.

Keima shrugged. "I have the feeling this is related to your family and it's not my place to pry" he said. "Besides I think me reading your family private correspondence once before was enough."

Mio was quiet for a moment. "But you want to know?"

"Yes" Keima replied immediately.

"Well, it's related to dad" she said slowly, her expression darkening. "It's complicated and-"

"You don't have to tell me right now, you know? Especially since this scenery" Keima pointed to the darkness around them and the run-down bus stop. "Doesn't work well for events like this."

Mio tried really really hard, but she couldn't stop herself from cracking a smile.

"Fair enough" she said and pondered something for a moment. "How about this? I'll visit you tomorrow… evening and we'll talk. Hopefully, I'll know more by then. Also if I could take a day off from work tomorrow..."

"That's not going to be a problem. I'll let mom know" Keima said. "Just don't forget that school begins in two days."

Mio groaned at that. She completely forgot about school!

"Anyway, cheer up" Keima said, giving her a warm smile. "I'm sure everything will work out just fine."

Mio didn't reply with words. Instead she leaped into his arms, burying her head into his chest and flinging her arms around his neck. The chilly night and their thick clothes reduced the experience somewhat, but she still enjoyed the closeness. The trust. The connection.

Maybe they should reduce the amount of making-out in favor of more cuddling and hugging?

The moment was interrupted when the bus arrived. Mio gave Keima a peck on the lips before the two teens separated.

(* * *)

An hour later Mio was already in bed, following a long talk with her mother. It wasn't late by any measure, but Mio cleared her mind of any thoughts, including the ones about Keima. She needed her sleep. Tomorrow might be a long and important day.

She sighed one last time before snuggling her face deeper into her pillow and closing her eyes.

And just when she was getting used to all this...

 **(* * *)**

 **Well, this is the less interesting "half-chapter" of the two, so there's not all that much happening here.**

 **Mio and Keima are getting a bit frisky. I guess that's what happens when you take a rough and guarded girl like Mio and then give her an outlet for her feelings, she never knew she had. Add to that the** ** **teenager** hormones and this is what you get xD. I just hope you don't mind the level of physical closeness portrayed in this chapter. I also hope the chapter is safe rating-wise xD.**

 **I'm not sure that the bartender daydream stands in character, but somehow I really like this scene. Somehow Mio fits in this "noble girl in a bar" setting in a way Tsukiyo, Urara and Yui wouldn't.**

 **Speaking of those three girls... the first two are shamelessly making bets behind Mio's back and Yui's... nowhere to be seen. However, Yui is proving problematic. This is probably not the last time we'll see of her in this story, but I'm kinda lost what to do with her. I mean, I have some ideas, but I'm not sure they'll be good.**

 **Back on the topic. We also see that Mio's getting popular (it always seems to happen when a girl gets a boyfriend, doesn't it?), but she is not happy about it at all. And Keima's getting possessive... while trying to avoid stepping on traps laid by Mio's mother who has the best of intentions at heart.**

 **Anyway... I don't know how many times I've said it before, but a lot of things here were made up as I went along. I mean, yeah, a loooot of stuff here was planned for a long time and you might not notice it, cause sometimes is just a single sentence that I wanted to use to reference something or emphasize a particular aspect of the characters or their relationship. Actually, you would be surprised at how many things I've packed here and in the next half-chapter.**

 **However, that doesn't change the fact that some things just come into my mind and I have to add them then. And sometimes it's really difficult to place 3 of such scenes, one after the other, and connect them, so they will fit with each other, witch the characters and with the unfolding plot.**

 **Speaking of plot... Mio was all but ready to "put down roots", so to speak, when suddenly her old life reaches for her again, by means of a mysterious letter. Is it bad or is it good? What routes will unfold with the revelation of the letter? 'Cause we all know what changes three simple letters can bring into the story, right?**

 **What comes next? Some important developments of course! Still, we're slowly getting to the end of this story. Whether it'll be 3 or 5 chapters, I can't tell. I can tell you I have still quite a lot of things to write, but some of them can be done with pretty easily.**

 **One way or another, stay tuned for the next update of The World Mio Only Knows! And if you like this chapter, then don't hesitate to send me a review. Constructive criticism is appreciated as well.**

 **See you next time!**


	17. Flag 57: Serious business

**Hello, everyone! I'm back!**

 **And on schedule too! How cool is that?**

 **Anyway... here's the next chapter of MioNomi and we'll finally get to see the mystery that is the contents of the letter. Is it good news? Or maybe Mio's newly improved and ordered life will be thrown into chaos once again? You'll have to read the chapter to see!**

 **Speaking of the chapter. It contains some 5000 words this time, which seems like a nice amount, but I can't shake off this feeling that this chapter is too small. Well, nothing I can do about it now. Also sorry for the crappy chapter title. It could be worse though...**

 **There are some other issue to discuss, but it's better to save them after the chapter.**

 **Moving on, I'd like to thank you for all your reviews for the previous chapter. Here are the usual replies:**

 **Normality Is Ke** **y** **:** Well, the "yetis" gluing together is the most amusing one yet xD… still amusing doesn't make it less annoying. Good news? I kinda figured out how to get rid of the gluing thing. I hope. I take it you enjoyed your cliff hanging xD. I'm not sure who you mean by "poor guy" (Keima, shop customers or the Fourth Wall?). Anyway, thanks for the review. :)

 **Sir Sleeps-a-lot:** I have some ideas what you mean by that one-liner, but I'm not sure. Not that you have to think up one-liners at 4 in the morning, you know? ;). Well, if a guy is ballsy enough (which happens more often than necessary) then I think there's a good chance he'd hit on a girl, regardless of her relationship status. About this 'treating the relationship seriously' thing… I kinda have to agree with you. I mean, from the perspective of the author, who (kinda) can see the ending, it did look as obvious that this would be serious… but now I realize in-story it might not seem like that. In my defense – Mari thinks that Mio is the very first girl interested in Keima (next one might not happen in 10 years), so she kinda treats her like future daughter-in-law, even if not completely justified. Mikoto, on the other hand, thinks in a broader sense and has to consider each Mio's boyfriend as potential husband and even casual relationships should (?) maintain a certain level of seriousness. You're super excited for Yui? That's no pressure at all xD. And yeah, title limits suck.

 **ZelgadisGW:** Why, thank you, master :P. Well, the chapter came out a little more naughty than intended. And I think Tsukiyo doesn't know anything about the maid of honor thing. As for the letter, well it depends on how much the chapter changed since the last time you saw it ;).

 **Sasori69:** Heritage? We shall see about that :P. Also, Urara was a little jealous before Mio's trip as well, so it's not that rare, but I know where you're coming from. My defense is we don't really get to see any of adult Urara's personality in the manga, so I made her like that: beautiful, but kinda lonely at times.

 **Shawn Raven:** Thanks for the review :). So you'd like to see Mio slap the living daylights out of the poor customers, huh? ;). Thank you, the bartender idea came out of nowhere, but I liked it from the first moment I thought about it :). Deeds are pretty much limited to kissing, cuddling and snogging though :P. Anyway, Yui and defeat? She lost a battle, that's for sure, but war still continues. Maybe. We'll get to the letter soon enough. I don't know about Keima's confession though… that would be tough, especially since it's the heroine who confesses in galges. I think.

 **Okay, that's it for now, we'll deal with the rest after the chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

The next day passed by slowly and Keima realized that was the first day in some time when he didn't see or hear from Mio for most of the day. His email was silent and Keima didn't send any messages either, so he just did what he always did with time on his hands, especially when he needed to relax.

Playing his games.

It was weird though. Playing games felt kinda leek getting a good breath of clear air. It was his oxygen. People didn't like getting suffocated, right? But somehow it didn't feel as if Mio was suffocating or polluting him, despite being the part of the real – the world he came to partially accept, but still considered hardly worth the effort.

He once again wondered why it was. He was fond of Mio – that much was certain – and it stretched beyond the "we once met and I once conquered you". No, a large part of this fondness was born in the past several weeks.

He wondered what this fondness was. For his game heroines he could easily pinpoint what he liked or disliked about them and tell what made them perfect.

Well, Mio certainly wasn't perfect and she was far away from the ideal set in games. But was she really? On the one hand, his initial classification of her was wrong – she wasn't rich and her circumstances have been a lot more tragic and fitting a different tsundere subroute than anticipated. On the other hand, she was a tsundere after all, just requiring a different approach.

He couldn't even say she really fitted her archetype. She wasn't some typical chaotic tsundere who quickly alternated between her "tsun" and "dere" modes. She didn't spew out the "it's not because I like you" lines. No, she was more guarded, distant and passive, at times bordering on kuudere. He wasn't even sure her default mode was "tsun".

But despite all of this she somehow fitted his game theory. Perhaps, it was more like the old games, where tsundere heroines were all about character development that made them bare their feeling and desires.

And Mio was exactly that. How else could he explain her confession, her fear and the abundance of psychical contact? And it's not like she was shallow. She was just craving for this specific form of contact people sought in relationships. Contact she had never had in her life, but which was hard-coded into her archetype. And she was a girl not used to expect denial. She was used to getting what she wanted and now she wanted some quality time with him.

Keima didn't hate that. It wasn't as stellar as to pull him away from his games. Normally. Cause Mio somehow reached a delicate equilibrium. Somehow she was there and actively spending time with him, while it could also feel like she wasn't bothering him at all. Perhaps she had learned about him and understood how to act around him. She was well-versed in a subtle art of teasing and could walk the boundary between polite, nagging and insulting.

It could also be that she viewed him as tsundere character and were carefully working around his own modes of behavior.

He didn't hate that either. And he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy their time together. As grudgingly as he was to admit it, this was something his games couldn't give him. At least not with the current technology. Yes, as a God of Conquest he could live without such physical closeness… but why?

Besides the very feeling itself, Keima also wondered how it came into being. There were only two explanations. Either Mio just fitted with him by nature or she subtly molded him and herself until their fitted together. Or maybe both were one and the same.

Was he like a game heroine now? Do all game heroines have moments like this? Or was it just a figment of his analytical mind?

In conclusion, he was slowly beginning to see things about Mio. Not just her route, but more… Is that what love is supposed to be in the real? He didn't know.

It was then when his PFP finally beeped. He opened the short email.

 _Coming over_.

This meant Mio was already on the bus and would be here in ten minutes. Keima got up from his throne and headed downstairs to prepare a cup of his coffee. This always managed to liven Mio up in the morning and worked just as effectively later in the day.

He was just done brewing when the door to the café opened and Mio entered. She was wearing lighter clothes, a clear sign that the spring came – the days were getting longer and warmer, while snow, at least here in central Honshū, was already gone.

"Ah, Mio-chan" Mari said as soon as the girl reached the counter. "It's good to see you."

"Good evening" the blonde replied, sending her boyfriend a smile, before turning back to Mari. "Sorry, I had to take a leave today."

"Don't be silly. It's your employee right" the orange-haired woman smiled, before getting more serious. "Anyway, is everything all right?"

"Yeah, I just had some family matters to attend to" Mio replied, but Keima knew she wasn't completely honest.

"Ah, you're such a good girl" Mari said before sighing. "If only my son paid this much attention to his family."

"Let's go" Keima grabbed his cup and Mio's hand and headed towards his room, passing by Eri in the corridor who waved at them happily.

(* * *)

"Aaah… that hit the spot" Mio hummed in approval not a minute later.

"You know you're not supposed to gulp coffee down like that?" Keima asked, watching as she put the empty cup on his desk.

"Yeah, but I can blame it on you and you're brewing skills" she countered, plopping back on the bed again.

Keima watched her. She was looking mostly normal, but he could detect some signs telling him otherwise. Her hair and clothes were disheveled just a little bit, her eyes seemed more distant and she was looking tired as if after a tough day. And her shoulder slumped a little bit as if she was bearing the weigh of a loose soul again.

This only confirmed what he already knew about Mio. Her conquest might've ended and her loose soul might've been gone alone with her original gap, but there were some other cracks on her heart that were threatening to appear or widen.

A funny thought once struck him. For a long time Mio had been ignoring the existence of small change, but ironically, she had a lot in common with it.

Like a coin she was small, but had much more worth than her size would indicate.

Like a surface of a coin she was hard and rough, but could shine with blinding light in a sunlight.

And, just like a coin, Mio had two distinct sides. She had her public persona – strong, fierce, dignified and geared towards business. But she also had her private side. That side could endure a lot of pressure, but if it were to crack, the results could be dire.

Thus, conquest or not, Mio still needed help. She needed release from excess stress, so she would be able to walk the path she's chosen. She needed support to be able to deal with the obstacles of the real.

And Keima felt he was supposed to be that support.

"So" he started slowly, not sure how to proceed. "That thing you were doing… did it go well?"

Mio furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips, going into her serious mode.

"It depends" she said before sighing. "This will be a long story."

"You're talking to a guy who can go through several long visual novels per day" he reminded her.

Mio was quiet for a second before taking a deep breath. And then she started speaking.

"My papa was a really big player in the heavy industry" she started. "Production, metallurgy, construction. You've seen him offering to build a theme park" she made air quotes at that. "For Urara's grandfather In the past, right?"

Keima nodded shortly.

"Well, before my papa's died, his company was thriving. We had a lot of money. A business where nothing could go wrong" she paused before looking at him. "So didn't it ever strike you as odd when my papa died and my family ended up with no money?"

"Actually, it did" Keima admitted.

"So, how do you think it happened? Does your game theory has anything to say in that regard?"

Keima already had an answer prepared. "I can think of three things: over-investment, accident or debt."

Mio laughed at that. "Congratulations" she smirked. "You guess is right."

"Which one?"

"All three of them."

To her pleasure Keima furrowed his brows.

"I told you it's complicated" she reminded him. "It all starts with the over-investment. Well, it was completely normal thing to do. The company was growing, so my papa decided to expand, burning a lot of money in the process. It was a bit risky, but he had done it before. Every company does. Now, it would've ended well, but then something happened."

"The accident" Keima guessed.

Mio nodded. "Yes. That's one of the problems with heavy industry. One of the reasons papa got that far was because he liked to inspect things by himself. He has done it a hundred times and nothing ever happened. Until that one time."

Keima kept quiet.

"Some machine broke down at the site. It could be as simple as a single cog and papa got injured. And he was not young anymore, you know? I was simple a late child. Anyway, papa fought bravely for a month. But he didn't make it."

At this point the held-back tears surfaced and for the next five minutes Keima was holding her, allowing her to silently cry into his arm.

"A-anyway" Mio continued when she composed herself. "We didn't lose hope till the end, so a lot of money was used on medical care. And on the funeral. But company was left without a long-term strategic leader… and long-term investments came back to bite it in the ass."

"You mean the debt" Keima stated.

"Yes. Someone needed to pay back the loans and secure the company's financial stability in the future" Mio leaned back on her hands. "In other words, the company needed a president. My mother was at that time a noblewoman, used to the world of the elite and supported papa all the way. But she wasn't a businesswoman. She couldn't take over the company. Of course, papa never wanted another child, so he planned to leave the company for me, but I was only 15 back then… I was not expected to take over for the next 20 years."

"So, your mother, who was probably the official president directly after your father passed away, gave the company to someone else, getting rid of the debt in the process" Keima guessed.

"Are you even human?" Mio half-teased and half-complimented him. "Anyway, it was the only choice we had. We got rid of the entire debt, while also giving up any rights to the company. Except, my mother demanded the company won't change its name. And that's how I ended up in that worse-than-common apartment. We had trouble making both ends meet, but at least we didn't have to deal with the loan sharks."

"And yet you somehow managed to pretend to still be rich" Keima noticed.

Mio waved it off. "The entire thing happened soon after I started high-school, after moving from another school. No-one here besides Yui knew me, so it wasn't hard to fool people, especially since company survived and kept it's name. And Yui, being a good and shy girl she was offered her condolences and didn't ask further questions."

"All right, but all that's was in effect for nearly two years now" Keima said after a moment of silence. "So what was that thing yesterday?"

Mio took another deep breath. "In short: the situation changed. The company is not thriving anymore. It is much smaller now and it's profile changed somewhat."

"Go on."

"The most of current company owners noticed that the company starts to weigh on them. It's not going bankrupt, but they'd still like to invest in something else. In simple words: the company assets are not important to them anymore. In that situation it would be best to just shut it down or transfer the full ownerships to the rest of the owners."

"So they'll do it, right?" Keima asked.

At this Mio grinned. "And here is when my mother's greatest decision yet comes to light."

"What do you mean?"

"My mother made one more condition. A safety measure just in case. The condition was that when the ownership of the company was to change in the future, the owners were obligated to offer it to us first. The letter from yesterday was exactly that offer."

"Wait, your mother's going to be a company president?" Keima furrowed his brow. "But she couldn't do it before. And it's not like her situation changed."

"Wrong" Mio wagged her finger in front of him. "My family situation is more stable now. I work part-time and mom got a raise. Moreover, the company changed. It's much smaller and more manageable now. And one more thing. My mother has no intention to run the company in the future."

"Wait a moment" Keima said slowly. "Do you mean to say that you'll be the president?"

"Yes" Mio grinned. "Or that's what I'd like to say, but it's not that simple. I'm still only seventeen and know very little about business and management."

"So what is going to happen now?"

"The majority of the owners will leave. The rest, which is just 2 or 3 people, will remain and the company size will be reduced even further. And for the next few years my mother will be official president, but she won't really be running the company. Just holding the place until the time comes."

"And that time" Keima locked eyes with her. "Is when you're ready to take over?"

Mio nodded slowly. "I always wanted to rebuild my papa's empire. I just can't let this chance slide. And here's where the problems start."

Keima furrowed his brow for the umpteenth time. "What problems?"

"First, I'll need to study. I always knew I would, but there's much more pressure now."

"Do you really want that pressure on you?" Keima asked. "Besides you said the company is small now. Do you know how long it would get for you to become like your father once was?"

His seriousness faded into surprise when Mio started laughing and couldn't stop for a while.

"What's so funny?" he asked, slightly insulted.

"I'm sorry. I'm not really sure why I did that" Mio said through the final chuckles. "Anyway, I think you're misunderstanding something."

Keima raised his eyebrow in question. "Like what?"

"I'm well-aware that it'll take decades to do this. Actually, I don't think I'll ever manage what my father had managed. He had different upbringing in different times. And he was a man. Women are frowned upon in business… especially in heavy industry. I know I won't be getting rich anytime soon."

"So why would you do this?" he asked.

"Lately, I've understood that being rich isn't everything. Money doesn't make one happy" Mio started, but then stopped, her face becoming more troubled, gaze unfocused. "But lack of money can make one unhappy for sure. Being poor sucks. I just… don't want what happened to me happen to someone else. I just want a steady future for my family… you know for my… ugh… children."

The last time Keima saw her blush like that was in the hot spring bath during the trip. He himself blushed when he realized what Mio was implying.

"In short, half the reason I'm doing this is because it needs to be done" Mio said when she was able to speak again, her eyes avoiding him.

"Wait" Keima spoke, making her look at him (with difficulty). "So you don't want to go back to being a rich celebrity?"

"Yes and no" Mio replied. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with having some money to your name and it would be nice to get back to my previous life once in a while. A small part of me will be always fond of that" she paused for a moment. "But I've come to like the life I'm having now… I don't-I won't leave that. I don't want to leave you…"

The blushes on their faces deepened.

"And that's what the second problem is" Mio said after a short silence, glancing at him. "I need to know what are thinking about this."

"Me?" Keima asked, surprised. "If you want advice on how to run a company then you're overestimating my game theories a bit."

"Not that!" she told him. "I'm asking if you're fine with me doing this!"

Keima was silent for a moment.

"Isn't my answer obvious?" he finally said. "I'm supposed to support you choices. I'm your boyfriend, you know?"

Mio shook her head. "Studying sessions, snowball fights and kissing is one thing" she said. "But this is on a completely different scale" her expression softened. "I don't want to do something that would make you unhappy."

"That's my line" Keima replied. "Remember that time I said I want to see more of your smile?"

Mio looked at him with wide eyes before smirking evilly. "Of course, I do. It was a great pick-up line, you sleazy liar."

It was obvious she was joking, but Keima shook his head.

"I did it to save a heroine, but it wasn't exactly a lie. I really wanted to see you happy, even if I was just a neutral stranger to you after that" he explained. "Moreover, I said that and now I'm your boyfriend, so it's my duty to take responsibility for my words. If it'll make you happy, if it'll make you smile, then I'm okay with this."

There it was – Mio lips morphed into a genuine smile, one that reached her eyes and lightened her features.

"And you better take this responsibility seriously" she said, fighting the tears threatening to spill again. "You hear me?" she added.

"Roger that" he smirked and Mio looked away from him. She had already learned that some of his gazes were… dangerous for her heart.

"Okay, that's two problems out of the way" she said, her gaze fixed somewhere over his shoulder.

"There's more?" Keima asked.

"Yes, the last one" she said. "Remember that I said that there'll be some people that will be sharing ownership over the company with my mother?"

Keima nodded.

"Well, they'll be my business partners… so… I need to start meeting with them. And that means going back to parties. At least once in a while."

Keima shrugged. "It can't be helped, so that's that. I don't see what the problem is" he said.

"Do you really think I can do it?" Mio asked, somewhat unsure.

"Of course, I do" he replied, frowning. "You have experience with this. And if after a party you become tired or stressed out by the false smiles and whatnot then I'll be there for you. With me you can always act casual and soft if you can't with them."

Mio swallowed a lump in her throat. Keima recognized, acknowledged and accepted both sides of her more than she gave him credit for. She really needed more casual scenes in her life, if their recent relationship was any indication.

"Thanks. That means a lot to me" she said, keeping her voice from cracking. "But that's not where the problem is… The thing is I'm not sure I can do this. At least not alone."

"What do you mean?" Keima asked, but he had a good idea what she was implying.

"I mean the other people are not that old… probably 25 or so, but I still would feel a lot better if I wasn't alone. Besides, it would look stupid to go there alone. So I'm kinda asking you to accompany me" she finished, face covered with a blush.

"You want me to go to those parties with you?" he asked and Mio nodded. "But I don't fit there and-"

"Oh, c'mon, you've already showed you can play the part" she interrupted him. "We both can put on a good face, so it's a good match. And I'm sure your skills could come in handy."

"You're not worried I could… umm… decrease your standing with those people?" Keima asked.

"Of course not" she gave him a hard glance before softening. "I mean, sure you know a lot about me, so I guess you could be dangerous if you wanted… but I trust you."

"I get it. And I agree to your request" Keima told her and Mio's face immediately brightened. "Still, I think you would be fine on your own."

"It's easy for you to say that" she huffed. "You don't know how hard it is to get someone's trust in business. Especially with my… parameters."

"What kind of parameters?" Keima asked, although he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"My height, for example" Mio confirmed his suspicion, making him groan.

"I've been thinking about it for a while" he said. "You definitely think too much about your height."

"It's easy for you to say when your 20 centimeters taller than me" she told him.

"Would you want to be 20 centimeters taller than me?" Keima asked. "Cause that would make you a lot less charming of a heroine."

"Don't be absurd" she cringed at the mental image. "But additional 10 centimeters wouldn't hurt."

Keima knew it was a sensitive topic, but the bitterness in her voice still surprised him. It was a sign he should deal with it now.

"You shouldn't compare yourself to me" he said. "I'm taller than most people."

"Yeah, and you're still growing!" she said.

"So are you" he countered. "Especially, since you're younger than me."

Mio rolled her eyes.

"Don't you know that girls stop growing earlier than boys?" was she his biology teacher now or what?

"So what?" Keima questioned. "Everyone stops growing at some point."

"Yeah, but I stopped growing when I was still short."

Keima furrowed his eyebrows. "You know that your problem is all in your head?" he asked. "You say all that, but you're taller than several girls I know."

"Oh yeah?" Mio mocked. "Name them."

"Rimyuel, Tsukiyo, Minami, Nanaka" Keima said in a mechanic manner. "And you are just a few centimeters shorter than Sumire, Shiori and Tenri and they're all pretty average in height."

Mio laughed at that. "I appreciate your efforts to make me feel better, but it won't work."

"What do you mean?" Keima asked, his voice somewhat monotone.

"Helloooo!" Mio drawled in theatrical manner. "Of the first four, Rimyuel is not human, Tsukiyo is… even more height-challenged than me and Minami is young and still growing" Mio reminded him. "Besides her and Nanaka are taller than me" she chuckled. "And here I thought you never forget the stats of the heroines" she mocked.

This was meant as harmless insult, but Keima immediately stood up and walked out of the room.

"Wait here" he said, closing the door and leaving Mio perplexed. Was it something she said?

He was back soon enough.

"Come over here" he told Mio.

"Where are we going?" she got closer to him, but Keima didn't move from his spot.

"Do you see this?" he asked, pointing to the door frame.

"What are you-" she started, but then she noticed. There was a small cut on the frame. A notch. What was that? Mark for Eri's height?

Keima pulled out a measuring tape and put it to the notch.

"152 centimeters" he announced. "Nanaka and Minami stand at 151."

"Yes" Mio was getting annoyed by now. What did it matter? "But that's not my height."

"Yes, it is" Keima said.

"What?" Mio was caught completely off guard. What did he mean? She distinctly remembered that hew own height was 149 centimeters. Where those additional 3 centimeters would come from?

"You heard me" Keima offered her the tape. "You can check if you don't believe me."

Mio snatched the tape, now really angry and stood back against the wall. Keima offered her a small knife and Mio grabbed it and made another mark, keeping the knife as close to her head as possible.

Then she turned around and assessed her handiwork. Yes, her mark was there.

A centimeter or so above Keima's.

"What the hell is this?" she asked, honestly confused. "What's the meaning of this?"

"This means" Keima took the tape and knife from her. "That you're 153 centimeters tall."

"But… but that's impossible" Mio said, her voice turning accusatory. "This is some devil trick, right?"

Keima shook his head. "Did you measure your height shortly before your father got hurt?"

Mio gaped at him. "Umm… yes" she admitted. How did he know that? "But I already stopped growing back then."

"Another question" Keima continued. "You haven't measured your height ever since?"

"Umm… no… but-"

"And" Keima interrupted her. "You used your supposed family position to refuse all school physical checkups ever since as well" this last one didn't sound like a question.

"Ugh..." Mio managed. She didn't like checkups. Why would she let all of her female classmates (essentially 90% of her classmates) learn she was as short and flat-chested as always?

"Well, it would've been a lot better if you didn't do it like that" Keima told her. Seeing her confused gaze he sighed and continued. "You're younger than most other girls and you're a late bloomer it seems."

"That's sounds like a load of bull" Mio countered, but not so sure of herself anymore. "It's impossible to grow this much once you stopped growing!"

Keima rolled his eyes. "You're thinking about average humans, but every human is different. Humans may continue to grow for a few years after their main puberty growth spurt has ended. Moreover, it's has been two years since your father passed away. 24 months, Mio. That's plenty of time to grow a few centimeters. And you're just 17. You might still grow a bit."

"And how do you know all this?" Mio tried to keep her voice calm, but she was slowly coming out of denial. "From games?"

"Maybe, maybe not" Keima replied.

"And when did you make this?" she pointed to the first notch.

"Soon after we got back from the trip" Keima replied. "You were… busy at the time so you didn't notice."

Mio knew what he meant. This was the first day after coming back from Hokkaidō. Mio decided on a morning surprise visit and jumped on Keima as soon as he opened the door to his room and made out with him in the doorway. Who could blame her? She didn't see him for an entire day!

"It seems I was a bit off mark when I did this" Keima looked at the first lower notch. "Anyway, that's not important. What's important is that I'm right and you're taller than Nanaka and Minami are" he crossed his arms over his chest. "And that means you owe me an apology."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry" she said quickly, getting closer to him and embracing him. "I was wrong and you were right… and thanks… I guess. Happy now?" she finished, with a hint of teasing in her voice.

"That's not nearly enough to placate the God of Conquest" he deadpanned.

"Aww… god is angry with me... what am I gonna do now?" she dragged him to the nearest sitting surface and employed the 'lap maneuver', straddling him. "How about a little kiss?"

"God is beyond such earthly temptations" Keima stated proudly.

"Is he now?" there was a glint in Mio's eyes as she spoke. "Let's test it out" she added, before capturing his lips with hers.

"At least you're learning" Keima teased when she pulled back and she responded by gently punching him on the arm.

"So… I guess I can count on you with this entire party thing?" she asked just to be sure.

"Yeah" he replied. "As long as I don't have to pull your limo or something."

Mio laughed at the mental image. "I'm sure you'd do fine… given enough lashes" she blinked at him.

"Well, at least it won't be a train" he replied.

Mio laughed again. She seemed in a good spirits, more so than he had expected. When they were going downstairs for dinner, she carried herself a little differently from before. She had some spring in her step and she held her chin higher than usual.

Of course, this was a response to her now-found knowledge about her height. To everyone else it might've sounded like a trivial issue, barely worth a thought. After all, it wasn't like Mio suddenly grew. She was still the same – she just wasn't aware of it until moments ago. So, logically speaking it changed nothing. But, as Keima was sitting at the table and watching Mio's radiant smile as she chatted with Mari, he knew that his gut feeling was right.

That for Mio knowing and not knowing about it was the biggest difference in the world.

 **(* * *)**

 **So, what do you think about the new developments here? It turns out the letter both was and wasn't about the heritage. It's more like a chance Mio can seize, but it will require a lot of work and it sorta stands in opposition to her new lifestyle. Will Mio return to being arrogant high-class lady or will she try to remain herself while dealing with all of this?**

 **And where Keima fits in all of this?**

 **Well, as interesting as this chapter was, it's mostly Keima's inner monologue (we don't get to see it often) and a single conversation, so it covers a few hours at most... that's why I said the chapter was too small...**

 **...still I managed to put several ideas in here. The first was Mio resemblance to a coin – item she once, ironically, resented. I also mentioned Mio trusting in Keima and still needed help with Keima acting as her solace, so she can remain tough when facing the world. I also couldn't sit quietly when the canon has Mio directly say she wants to rebuild her father's company – I had to include it and expand upon it here.  
**

 **Lastly, I finally dealt with Mio's issues about her height. This is not exactly in tandem with canon (which has Mio unhappy with her height, but still capable to calmly deal with it and canon never shows her as having A-cup angst... I think), but since long I had this idea to gave her some peace of mind and finally I decided to have her be a little taller then she thought she was.**

 **Anyway, with this development we start the next arc, but it won't be solely centered on the company issues. One way or another, we'll slowly getting to the end of the story, so we have to start wrapping things up. Personally, I'd like to finish this story in 4 chapters, but I'm not sure I'll be able to do that.**

 **Moving on, I have some less-that-stellar news regarding my posting schedule. There are three issues. First, I'd like to go back to the system when I'm one chapter ahead of what I'm posting. I'm not sure I can make it happen, but I'd like to. Second, I slowly need to think about the plot for KanonNomi. Third, and at the moment most importantly, I'll be quite busy for the next few weeks...**

 **...thus, long story short: I almost certainly won't be able to post the next chapter before 20th of December and there's a good chance it may appear as late as 27th of December. That's a month from now. Thus I want you to be patient. I'm not disappearing or anything. Just don't be surprised if I'm going to be quiet for the next few weeks.**

 **Once again, I kindly ask you to follow, favorite and review this story. Tell me what you think and how you feel about the latest development concerning Mio and Keima. Constructive criticism is appreciated as well.**

 **That's it for now!**

 **See you next time!**


	18. Flag 58: Dirty dancing

**Hello, everyone! I'm back...**

 **...at long last...**

 **I'm sorry for such a long delay. I don't have much of an excuse, except for Christmas. I did manage to finish this chapter and my editor says it has exactly 8888 words xD (the site's editor begs to differ however) and I hope it partially justifies my long absence. Anyway, I didn't manage to work on further chapters, KanonNomi plot or any pokemakes. But I'll try to get to it.**

 **Two more important announcements. First, I created a poll on my profile where you can vote on which "saga" of the manga you liked the most and which one the least. This is a "mirror poll" to the "anime season" poll created by Sir Sleeps-a-lot. This is mostly for curiosity's sake. Also, I encourage you to visit Sir Sleeps-a-lot profile and vote on her poll as well. I have idea for more polls, but I'll leave that for another time.  
**

 **As for the second announcement, we will get to it later.  
**

 **As always, I thank you for all your support. Here are replies to latest reviews:**

 **Sasori69:** I'm not sure if you meant chapter 60 or really 50 xD. And I most probably won't do "point-of-view" chapters, but who knows. Anyway, thanks for the review. :)

 **Sir Sleeps-a-lot:** First, I'm very happy to hear that I managed to get you interested in Mio :). Umm… yeah… the reference to Mio's father "you're grown up" comment was totally what I had in mind… xD. Well, Yui being unpredictable is good, as you can do a lot with her. My problem is more like I don't know what to do about her xD. Thanks for the support on my slacking and lack of time issues :).

 **Normality Is Key:** Yep, we have :). You can see the ending? Then tell me, 'cause I can't. Not with all the details xD. Marriage proposal? Maybe Mio missed another envelope, who knows? XD And while it's a "little" late, I still hope you had a wonderful Christmas time! At least I can still wish you a Happy New Year! So there's more people waiting for KusunokiNomi, huh? Good to know ;). P.S. Who knows… both options seem equally enticing and challenging xD.

 **Shawn Raven:** Thank you, thank you very much for this review :). All is well for Mio, huh? We'll see about that xD. Yup, Mio's a big girl now xD. Well, Keima's mind still remains a mystery. And how come everyone can see the ending but me? XD

 **ZelgadisGW:** Dancing together at a part? I guess you'll have to wait and see ;). Glad you appreciate the height discovery scene. I'll have to work hard on that epilogue then :P. P.S. It was so long ago that I almost forgot what the good luck was for… aah… time sure flies… xD

 **Leyknar:** Thank you for your review. And yep, Mio's cuteee. Even Elsie admitted that a long time ago xD.

 **Okay, that's it. Onto the chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

It was a pale early spring dawn with the sun fighting against the heavy blanket of clouds. Winter had all but given up, yet the spring seemed anxious to take the lead, resulting in bland weather, where winds, rain and weak sunlight mixed together, not exactly encouraging conditions to venture outdoors.

Mio Aoyama, however, did not pay any attention to this, despite the fact that she'd have to endure this whimsical weather soon enough. No, her mind was busy with other things, focused on where she was – right here on Keima's lap, her back to his chest – as she relaxed, this time letting him do all the work.

"You know, I've pictured us doing a lot of things" she mused as a random idea struck her. "However, I've never thought I be doing _that_ with _you_ of all people."

"You're telling me" Keima replied, his hands moving quickly and with purpose, getting closer and closer to his objective, while Mio went quiet – trusting him and his ministrations, letting him do what only two other men had ever done to her…

"Done" Keima announced shortly after, letting go of her and letting her inspect his handiwork. The girl was silent for a moment, looking for any imperfections, but found none.

The lengths of her twin ponytails were perfectly equal.

"Wow, you're really good at this for a first timer" Mio couldn't stop herself from praising him. "Much better than Papa or Morita."

"What about your mother?" Keima didn't want to ask whether she sat on Morita's lap when he was tying her hair.

"Nah, my mother never did my twintails" Mio shrugged. "When I was young my hair was short, so there was nothing to do and when my hair grew mother preferred to let it loose and comb it sometimes. The 'twintails are fine in highschool' was Papa's idea."

"He wasn't spoiling you at all" Keima noted with sarcasm.

"Hmpf… like you're any different" Mio remarked.

"You want me to stop spoiling you?"

"Never" she grinned. "Spoil me all you want."

"You're greedy" Keima noted. "That's one of the six vices! If a girl-"

"-carries even one of them she fails as a heroine, I know" Mio said, standing up and checking her appearance in a small mirror. Of course, she never considered herself as ugly, but lately something changed. She didn't know what it was, but she liked the change. Maybe it was all in her mind?

"Well, the vices in the real world work a little bit different than in games" she finished.

"Do they now?" Keima asked. "Well, I can agree with one thing."

"What's that?"

"If someone told me I'd be helping a _real_ highschool girl tie her hair then I wouldn't believe it. Not in a thousand years. And mind you, I lived over 10 thousand years. In games."

"That kinda sounded like you did tie up girls' hair in games" Mio noticed, a tint of jealousy in her voice.

"That's an extremely rare event" Keima replied evasively.

"That didn't exactly sound like 'no', you know?"

Keima glanced at the clock before getting up. "Anyway, we have to go now or we'll be late".

Mio rolled her eyes at the obvious attempt at topic change. But Keima was right. As far as she wanted for it to continue, the spring break was over. They had to go to school. She gazed to the other part of the room and briefly considered… no, it was still too early for it.

"Let's go then."

(* * *)

Five minutes later they were already walking hand in hand through the streets of Maijima. All in all, it was a good before-school event, Keima thought. The clouds were heavy, but it wasn't raining and while it wasn't hot by any means, they have already left behind their winter jackets. Mio seemed to share the sentiment – Keima noticed she still had the confidence boost from her recent discovery of her true height and carried herself differently. In that case why did she need...

"Why are you wearing those boots again?" he asked, indicating to her trademark orange knee-length footwear.

"Why? Because with these I'm practically 5'4'', you know!" she responded as if it was obvious.

"You'll have to switch them for indoor shoes anyway" Keima told her. "And here I thought you'd stop worrying about your height."

"I'm not worrying" Mio defended. "I'm just enjoying being taller than average!"

"Isn't this going too far?"

"I'm in the 'being spoiled' mode, so it's all right" Mio waved it off.

Keima rolled his eyes at her logic. Now, time for another topic.

"Still, are you sure about going to school like that?" he squeezed her hand to make a point.

"Like what?" Mio asked, eyes honestly curious.

"Everyone in school will know about us" he told her.

"So?" she shrugged.

"Rumors will start that you're going out with the otamega and-"

"Sooo?" Mio interrupted him with more emphasis.

"So you're fine with this?" he tried one last time.

"Of course" Mio huffed. "That way everyone will know that you're mine" it was her turn to squeeze his hand.

"Riiight" Keima drawled. "Because telling everyone you have a boyfriend is exactly what's going to keep a thousand of girls at bay."

"Don't flatter yourself" Mio wiggled her finger at him. "You're still the otamega for the vast majority of the school" she reminded him.

"So instead of scaring off non-existing competition you're going to become a social outcast for associating with me."

"You worry too much" she said. "And if someone tries to bully or threaten you, just let me know" she adjusted her bag which held her trusty whip.

"I don't think that's such a good idea."

"I said don't worry about it" Mio told him. "Just trust me a bit when it comes to the real world, okay?"

Keima sighed, but then decided to touch upon the last topic.

"So, about the thing we discussed the other day. What you'll have to do in the future."

"Oh right, the party" Mio mused. "I think I'll stay at your place after I'm done with work and we can do some dance lessons."

"Not that" Keima interrupted. "I mean the thing you said about your studying."

"Ooh, so you mean the tutoring lessons…"

"No, I mean the part when you have to go to university" he clarified. "Like in 'university outside of Maijima'."

Mio stopped walking and looked at him, her eyes widening – the first sign of panic. So she hadn't thought about it.

"I-I can study in Narusawa" she shot, but missed.

"Narusawa has no universities with an appropriate program" Keima told her.

Mio opened her mouth to counter, but reconsidered. If Keima said there weren't, then he had checked it already. As usual he was a step or two ahead of her.

"No, no, no, no, no! I'm _not_ separating myself from you for several years!" she cried out, scaring some bypassing highschoolers in the process. "No way!"

"Calm down" Keima told her. "In that case I'll just have to study in the same town as you."

"Can… can you do that?" Mio asked in disbelief.

"I'm pretty sure I can get to any university you can" Keima replied confidently. "Of course, I'd have a different major than you."

"You'd do that for me?" she asked and when he looked at her funny she continued. "I mean, you'd leave Maijima for me?"

Keima nodded. "It's normal to study in a different town and it doesn't have to be a far-away town either, so I don't see what's the problem."

"But what about your family?" Mio went on. "What about Eri? She'd surely miss you… and what about your... ugh… friends?"

"You say it like I'd never return. Besides, Eri needs to spend more time with mother and father" Keima resumed moving, apparently thinking that the discussion was over, but Mio bit her lip in thought, unsure whether ask what she wanted to ask.

"What about the money?" she said finally.

"Excuse me?"

"Just because my family got apart of the company back, it doesn't mean our financial situation changed much" Mio started in an unsure voice. "It won't be easy to send me alone to university and I want to have some savings… just in case. You never know what might happen."

"That's understandable" Keima said shortly.

"Anyway" Mio spoke again. "What I want to say is, I don't want to force your family to pay for your tuition when you don't really have to leave Maijima."

"Who's the one worrying too much now?" Keima asked and continued without letting her speak. "I'll just need to get a job then. Besides, once in university we can economize by renting a room together."

If Keima meant this as an innocent remark then he failed utterly, as Mio's face turned crimson instantly as she considered the idea. Renting a room together? Just the two of them? Gotta change the topic quickly.

"A-anyway, won't your mother be disappointed that you won't take over the café?"

"You didn't seriously think I would, did you?" Keima asked rhetorically. "Besides, Eri can take it over."

Mio was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. "In that case you should probably teach her your skills"

This comment made Keima look at her. "What skills?"

"Coffee-making for example."

Keima snorted. "You think Eri could make that kind of coffee when my mother can't?"

"She can't because you won't teach her the recipe" Mio countered. "And it's not like your coffee is magical. It's just… sophisticated and carefully crafted."

"And what makes you think Eri can do something like that when she doesn't even have enough common sense to use an a microwave oven?"

"You do."

"Huh?"

"You were the one who said that 'she can follow instructions well enough', remember?" Mio said.

Keima blinked at her. "Wait… you _remembered_ my words? My _exact_ words?" he asked, not hiding surprise.

"Well, I studied the memories" she avoided his gaze. "You know, to learn more about you and stuff" she finished weakly.

Keima looked at her for a longer moment, his gaze making her nervous.

"I was right" he spoke finally. "You're a lot sharper and observant than you let on."

Mio instantly blushed at his compliment, but Keima didn't see it. His gaze was fixed in front of him. The school gate was in sight now and he could already see the first curious glances directed at them.

It was time to face the real.

(* * *)

Ten minutes later Mio had to admit Keima's point was at least partially valid. She also now realized that giving him a quick goodbye kiss in public wasn't the smartest of moves. She couldn't even change her shoes without some murmurs being heard. Well, it wasn't as a hundred of students were crowding and buzzing around her and asking her questions. In fact, no-one seemed to directly approach her, but the murmurs were still there…

She shook her head. Why was she even thinking that? Rumors and such were a commoner's things and she wasn't a commoner. She didn't need to concern herself with any of that.

Except for Yui.

Mio sighed. She really hoped that the drummer was past the 'depression' and already on the 'acceptance' of the five stage of grief.

She tentatively entered her classroom and the first thing she noticed was that Yui wasn't there. The second observation wasn't visual but acoustic – the moment she stepped into the room the soft and uniform chatter died out.

No-one was looking at her openly, but everyone was gazing at her from the corner of their eyes. Mio tried to ignore all of it as she walked to her desk. As she passed Tsukiyo's desk she heard the other blonde speak.

"What did you do?" it wasn't an accusation, but a simple question.

"Walked with my boyfriend to school and wished him a good day" Mio responded, torn between keeping the conversation to the two of them and screaming it out loud for everyone to hear.

"Was it a verbal form of wishing?" Tsukiyo asked and Mio heard some veiled mischief in her voice. She was less and less surprised that Vulcan choose the moon-lover as her host.

"There were words if that's what you're asking about" Mio said putting her bag on the desk in front of Tsukiyo because… why not?

"So it's officially public now?" the moon-lover asked, but it was obvious she already figured it out from the hushed conversations earlier. Still, Mio nodded slightly and Tsukiyo immediately pulled out her cellphone.

"In that case I'm telling Shiori and Urara" she announced, already typing an email.

"That basically means everyone will know by the end of the day. Yui included" Mio noticed. "I wonder why she's not here yet."

"Actually" Tsukiyo's expression became a little more serious. "Yui was here earlier."

"She was?" Mio asked, turning her head, her twintails flying around her face like a pair of whips.

Tsukiyo nodded. "She kinda ran out when she heard about… you know."

"You don't think she… went to Keima's class?" Mio asked, her voice unsure.

"I don't know" Tsukiyo shrugged in a dignified manner. "But I don't think you have anything to worry about. Just keep calm and carry on as if nothing happened."

Mio wasn't so sure of herself, but she had no other ideas, so she gave a short nod and sat down. This ended her conversation with the other blonde. And that served as a signal to the rest of their classmates, who quickly gathered around Mio's desk.

"Aoyama-san! Aoyama-san!" one of her more obedient-looking classmates started. "You wouldn't believe, but there's this rumor going around!" he cried out.

"It's not a rumor!" another girl countered. "I saw them through the window!"

The first boy looked back at the girl, clearly offended. "No, it can't be true, you've got it wrong!"

"I know what I saw!" the girl half-yelled back.

"Aoyama-san" another girl said calmly, talking directly to Mio. Other students kept a distance at least a meter from her desk, but this girl walked closer before asking. "Is it true that you're going out with someone?"

The crowd held their breath. This was probably the first time in Mio's life when she wasn't glad of the attention she was getting. But no matter – she could still deal with it.

"Those are my personal affairs and I would rather not discuss them in public" she said, not really sure why she didn't just tell them the truth.

"So you do have a boyfriend" the ballsy girl stated. "Or are you going to deny it?"

Mio stayed quiet for a moment, not knowing how to answer. The girl took it as answer enough.

"See, Aoyama-san does have a boyfriend!" the girl turned around and walked away, apparently happy with the result. The boy from before wasn't however.

"B-but it can't be the otamega!That creep is totally unwort-" that was all the boy managed to say, because he suddenly found himself in front of Mio, who stood up and was now looking daggers at him.

"What was that?" she hissed, making the boy stumble backwards in fear. Was it just him or was Aoyama-san being even more authoritative than usual? She was also looking more imposing and, well… taller…

"Aoyama-san!" another brave student, a guy this time, appeared next to her. "That ota-boy must've cast some kind of spell on you, but you must fight it off! You mustn't go out with him!"

"Ooh?" Mio turned to him, looking calmer, but Tsukiyo, who was observing the scene, kinda feel a shiver travel down her spine. "And why is that?"

"That boy is no-good creep and a pervert! The school is full of bad rumors about him! It would be terrible to believe even in half of it!"

"What rumors?" Mio asked.

"Well, he's only playing games and he's doing it in class! They say he lives on the roof and call UFOs! He calls himself 'god' and spreads some kind of religion" the boy said, spitting up words quickly."Someone even said he uses dark magic!"

"I see" Mio said slowly. "Well, I know him better than any of you and I can assure you – those rumors are only half true at best."

"W-what do you mean by 'know him better than any of us'?" the first boy was back. "You say it as if you-"

"Yes, I'm going out with him and his name is Keima Katsuragi" she turned to her bag, rummaging inside. "Now…if there is anyone else who wants to badmouth my boyfriend or give me love advice" she turned back, her whip in her hands. "Then step forth and let's talk it out now" she patted her whip against the palm of her other hand for emphasis.

"You're going to alienate your classmates like that" Tsukiyo commented when the crowd dispersed as on command.

"Hmpf! If that's how my classmates are then I don't need them. I never did" Mio said back. "Besides, it's funny to hear an advice against alienating people from you" she added, but without ill intent.

"It sure is" Tsukiyo agreed, adjusting her clothes. The teacher would be here soon. Speaking of teachers.

"Hey, Nanao-sensei went on a sick leave week before last year ended and he still isn't well, right?" Mio started, getting Tsukiyo's attention. "So who's going to be our homeroom teacher this year?"

"I don't know" Tsukiyo replied, as if she wasn't really interested. Teachers were always a bother. "Come to think of it, that teacher Nagase was supposed to be back.

"Nagase?" Mio repeated, lost for a moment until she remembered. Ohh… _that_ Nagase… "You think she might be our homeroom teacher?"

"No idea" Tsukiyo shrugged. "But she sure beats Kodama as a teacher."

"Not that English dude! Ugh… and they say Keima is creepy" Mio shivered.

"Yes, but he always has the third years, so it's plausible" the other blonde noted, obviously not happy with the idea as well.

Mio furrowed her brow. Nagase might be a little too nagging, even considering Mio's need to study, but she was still preferable to Kodama.

It was exactly then when she heard the door to the classroom open, but with much more force and authority.

Please let it not be Kodama, please let it not be Kodama, she chanted in her mind, turning towards the door, but before she could turn fully, she heard a voice. A voice she knew.

"Get into your seats, everyone! The homeroom will begin!"

Mio opened her mouth in shock and Tsukiyo wasn't faring much better. The teacher walked to the teacher's desk and faced the classroom.

"Welcome everyone" the teacher addressed the students. "My name is Yuri Nikaidō and I will be your homeroom teacher during your third and, hopefully, final year in this school. But rest assured, I'll make all the effort to make sure that you're well-prepared for your exams" while saying this Nikaidō's eyes were focused on Mio and the blonde could sense the lat part of the speech was directed solely at her.

It was safe to assume Nikaidō already heard about her and Keima being together.

Oh crap...

(* * *)

"And she was looking at me all the time" Mio gestured wildly with her hands as she and Keima were walking to the Demeter bread stand. "And that's not all! She personally approached me after homeroom and said she'll keep an eye on my, how did she put it, _studying environment_."

"You worry too much" Keima told her, clicking through his game.

"No, I don't!" Mio replied angrily. "In a way Nikaidō's more dangerous than our parents! Unlike your mother, she doesn't want you to get a girlfriend! It's like she feels the need to protect you from me! As if I was seducing you!" could he not see this?

"I know that" Keima replied calmly. "What I mean is: _you_ don't have to worry about Dokurō. Let _me_ deal with her. She'll listen to me. Besides, it's not like she's exactly wrong" he looked at Mio strangely. "Because you _did_ seduce me to some extent."

"D-don't be stupid!" Mio half-shouted at him, but her cheeks reddened. "When did I do anything even remotely resembling seduction?"

"Walking on me in the hot springs" Keima replied immediately.

"T-that wasn't on purpose, idiot!" she hit him on the back of the head and not all that light either. But he deserved it, teasing her like that. "A-anyway, how did you deal with Yui?"

At this Keima stopped massaging his scalp and blinked. "Yui?"

"Yeah, she left the classroom when she heard about us, before I even got there" Mio told him, but when she saw the confusion in Keima's eyes she added. "Wait… she didn't go to your classroom?"

"No" Keima replied and Mio recognized his expression – he was thinking intensely. "Well, in that case she's certainly up to something, so let's be vigilant."

Mio nodded weakly, not so sure about it, but she could do nothing for now, so she just followed Keima and hoped she'll get answer to Yui's strange behavior soon.

(* * *)

The answer came when Mio returned to class 10 minutes later.

Her mood was already a bit down, because of the "very limited amount of public physical displays of affection at school" rule Keima put into effect. If this year was supposed to be all studying and no kissing for most of the day then she'd go crazy before summer break for sure.

She walked into the classroom, but she couldn't see Yui. The drummer didn't attack her and she wasn't sitting anywhere either – after all it was hard to miss male school uniform in class consisting mostly of girls.

The first sign of something being wrong was Tsukiyo who had a very… disconcerted expression on her face and avoided Mio's gaze when their eyes met. Intrigued by this, Mio sat down on her seat, but before she could interrogate the other blonde another one of her common female classmates approached her desk, putting hands on the desktop. Mio turned to the annoying commoner and was just about to snap, but she stopped.

Then she looked closer.

And gaped.

This wasn't some commoner.

This was Yui.

Yui Goidō in a Maijima Private High School uniform.

For girls.

Including a skirt.

And it wasn't just the uniform. Yui's hair were tied up with a ribbon just as Mio remembered. And not just her – their classmates were looking at Yui curiously as well.

However,not everything was like old Yui. Old Yui wouldn't wear make-up. Not to this extent.

"Y-Yui?" Mio said, making sure this wasn't some devils' trick.

"Good morning, Mio" even Yui's voice was more… feminine. It was a little forced though and she was looking just a little bit out-of-touch with female clothing. Moreover, there was some… tension in her voice.

Mio wasn't dumb. She connected all the dots and realized that her previous assumption was wrong. Yui wasn't on the "acceptance" or even at "depression" stage.

She was at the "bargaining" stage. She was willing to become a girly girl again just to increase her chances with Keima.

Mio wanted to be angry at that – this meant Yui was still a rival after all – but somehow she wasn't. Quite the opposite, a sudden wave of sadness washed over her, especially since Yui was kind of special to her.

After all, Tsukiyo was a new friend and Urara had been overseas for a long time. Yui was the only one who Mio knew from way back and stayed (relatively) close to all this time…

Yui opened her mouth to speak, but at the same time the door to the classroom opened again and a teacher walked in.

"We'll talk later. Sit down. We. Will. Talk. Later" Mio whispered slowly. Yui walked back to her new seat and Mio sighed.

The next break promised to be troublesome.

(* * *)

"What is this?!" Mio asked as soon as her and Yui were in a more secluded corridor, Tsukiyo being on the lookout to give them some privacy. "Don't tell me you ditched the homeroom to rush home and changed into... this."

"I've heard some rumors about you and Keima-kun" Yui said in that softer voice.

"Rumors?" Mio repeated. "Why depend on rumors when you can hear the true story?"

This seemed to intrigue Yui, so Mio continued.

"I'll be blunt" Mio said firmly, confidence boosted by her new-found centimeters. "I know what you're doing, but it's useless. It's not a rumor. Me and Keima are dating. And no, I didn't force him to do it."

"B-but" Yui started, but Mio exploited her soft state to put her arms on her shoulders.

"Look Yui" she started softly. "I know you like Keima. I really do and I'm not blaming you. And I know this is hard on you… but nothing will come out of this. I'm your friend. I really am and I'm ready to help you when you find another boy you like. But you have to stop this. This" she indicated to all of Yui. "This isn't you. Yes, I think you should wear less masculine clothes and act a little bit girly. But you can't do this. You can't be this. This gentle, obedient, shy, quiet and wishy-washy. This is not Yui Goidō I know."

Mio knew it won't be over just like that, but the words seemed to at least stump Yui for a moment. It was then that Mio was reminded that it wasn't one-on-one situation.

"Don't listen to her!" Yui's reflection in the window pane flashed briefly. "She's trying to take Keima away from you! As long as she's after him she's our enemy!"

Mio's anger shot up at this. She turned to the window, her intent to shout at Mars and tell her that she wasn't Yui's enemy and she wasn't taking Keima away (because Keima was already hers). But she never managed to shout, because as soon as she saw Mars she slumped over, clutched her stomach and then fall down to the ground.

And proceed to laugh her ass off.

When Yui switched back to her feminine look she also matched her expression and behavior (although with trouble). But Mars didn't. In result the warrior goddess looked really weird with make-up, pink bow tying her hair, girly clothes and aggressive and angry look on her face.

"Yui will not give up! She'll fight on until she emerges victorious and, and… are you listening to me?!" Mars yelled, but Mio didn't pay much attention to her, busy with her attempts to stand up.

"No, I'm not" Mio said, rubbing the tears of laughter from her eyes. When she succeeded she cleared her throat. "Anyway, I take it that you haven't yet tried to go to Keima's class. Well, you have my permission to do so, but the end result will still be the same."

"You think that's going to stop Yui?" Mars asked, apparently deciding to do the talking in Yui's stead, the goddess' cheeks turned a little red – apparently Mio's jibe irritated her quite a bit. "This is a battle for Katsuragi's heart and we shall not lose!"

"I get it" Mio said impatiently. "And it's not like I don't understand you… but it's not your turn yet!" she told Yui firmly. At this time she felt some slight vibrations, similar to when standing below a passing-by train. Mio attributed thisto the wobbliness of her legs after her laughter fit.

"What do you mean 'not her turn'?" Mars shouted back. "There is only one Keima Katsuragi and there are no second chances in this! The winner takes it all!" the goddess narrowed her eyes. "Don't make it sound like it's a game where players may take turns at beating it!"

"Well, that's not exactly correct, but the truth is, this is kinda sim-"

This time there was no mistake – the vibrations were really there and they increased in magnitude. In fact, it felt like an earthquake. The windows creaked and groaned in protest and both Mio and Yui had trouble staying upright.

And then it was over.

"Was that an earthquake?" Mars inquired as if she didn't recognize it.

"Yeah, it's not exactly special in Japan" Yui replied, her voice more like the masculine Yui everyone knew.

"Are you all right?" this voice belonged to Tsukiyo who ran towards them. And she wasn't alone – Vulcan was floating close to her as Luna.

"Did you feel that, nee-sama?" Mars asked. "Was it a normal earthquake?"

"I don't know" Vulcan responded in that eerie voice of hers. "But it did seem strange. I'll have to investigate this."

"We're still in school" Tsukiyo said sternly, stopping her goddess from just flying off in broad daylight. She then turned around and her gaze fell on Mio.

"Are you all right?" Tsukiyo asked, her voice worried

"Yeah" Mio replied, but her voice was distant and her face was pale. "I have to go to the restroom. I'll see you later" and just like that she ran off.

(* * *)

Mio gasped for air, standing in front of a sink in the otherwise empty restroom, her face wet from the cold water she had splashed on herself moments ago.

She was still in shock.

True, Yui's words had some truth to them – earthquakes were all but common in Japan. However, that quake just now… and the vibrations right before it… both of those happened when Mio made allusions to the true nature of this world – the allusions to the orb.

Was this just a simple coincidence?

Or was it a warning?

In that case, what would happen if she told Yui or anyone else the truth? Scratch that! How dumb she was to even _think_ about telling Yui about it?

What if this world collapsed and she lost all that she managed to accomplish? Suddenly, a wave of fear and panic washed over her. Instantly, all that she accomplished seemed petty and insignificant in front of the possibility of her losing Keima forever.

Calm down, she told herself, her hands clutching the sink. She had to calm down.

And find Keima. Make sure that he-that they were still together.

(* * *)

Mio opened the door to Keima's classroom and panicked when she didn't see him there. Then she realized that this was 2-B classroom. In her panic she forgot that Keima was already a third year. She then rushed to his new classroom, but found it was completely empty.

Where was everybody, Mio thought as she walked around. What was happening? Was this a dream? Or maybe the world… broke like that white void back then?

No, no that couldn't be! Stay calm Mio, she told herself, shaking her head. She should check the rooftop next and if that wouldn't work she was ready to run around the school and yell for Keima.

She turned around only to collide into something.

Never before in her life was she so happy to run into Keima.

"There you are" he said, looking at her, but his sight didn't calm her down completely.

"Keima? Is it you?" she asked, not certain this wasn't some trickery.

He looked at her funny.

"Were you expecting someone else?" he asked, his voice between amused and suspicious.

"Where've you been?" she asked and then cringed. Wasn't she in this situation before? Acting like a nagging mother, an angry employer or a possessive… wife?

"I was looking for you in your classroom" Keima told her. "Didn't you get my mail?"

Mio blinked at him and then checked her cellphone. Sure enough there was a message from Keima.

 _Are you all right? Coming to your_ _classroom._

She felt touched, seeing that he was worried about her.

"Anyway, that earthquake… for some reason it felt as if it originated from here, so entire class was spooked" Keima continued, walking into the classroom and to his desk.

"And what about you?" Mio asked.

"I did some talking while walking around" Keima indicated with his shoulder to the empty space next to him and Mio understood he meant one of his invisible devil guardians.

Then Keima noticed her unsure expression and sagged shoulders. "Is something wrong?"

"Umm… that earthquake" Mio started, certain she shouldn't be talking about this with him, but unable to stay quiet, as if heading towards her own self-destruction. Yes, this world, this chance could very well be terminated by her. "Do you think it was something… paranormal?" she finished.

"It's a possibility _we're_ researching" Keima said, clearly meaning more people that himself. And then his expression changed when he noticed the concern on her face she was unsuccessfully trying to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, surprising her.

"Don't worry" he told her, his voice firm. "We'll work it out"

And his voice wasn't just firm. It was magical. Mio could practically feel some aura, some power radiating from Keima. And she knew what this power was.

It was the power of the God of Conquest.

She didn't know where it was coming from – from the look in his eyes, his voice or from his entire being – but it was powerful. This was what Keima was like when he was putting effort into the real world and when he was trying to conquer real girls.

Of course, Keima's goal was just to comfort her. It was just that his way of doing that was by his conquering skills. And Mio wasn't such a weak girl who'd just swoon over him (at least not that easily). If that was all he did then she would be able to fight it off.

But she didn't want to fight it.

No, Keima was kinda her safe haven now, someone she trusted. So instead of resisting his charm, she embraced him and buried her head into his chest.

And immediately she felt better. Yes, it was bad of her to even think about mentioning the orb to Yui. It was dangerous for a moment. But it was okay. They were okay. She just needed to stay calm and definitely avoid any dangerous topics with Yui again.

This made her realize something.

"Wait a moment" she said, backing up and looking at him. "You went to my classroom?"

"Yes" Keima replied.

"That means you met Yui, didn't you?" she questioned.

"Well, I did" Keima looked to the side.

"And?" she asked when he didn't continue.

Keima shrugged. "Nothing much."

"Yui in clothes for girls is 'nothing much' to you?"

"I'm not exactly complaining" Keima answered.

"Do elaborate" Mio ordered, fighting the urge to narrow her eyes. After all, girly Yui was certainly more… pleasing to the eye than her.

Keima shrugged again. "I told her that I like you and that she was doing it against herself. But personally I don't mind her turning soft. It's easier to deal with her that way."

Mio couldn't help but smile at him. Maybe this year won't be as bad as she thought. And just when she thought that she heard a new sound coming from the side.

"Aah…"

Mio and Keima whipped their heads around. They have forgotten that they were in the empty classroom. Which was no longer empty. At the door there were four figures.

Eri, Chihiro, Ayumi and Miyako. Thelast one was the one whose voice betrayed their presence and she was looking mildly surprised. On the other hand, Ayumi and Chihiro were openly slack-jawed, just like that one time when Yui apologized to them in Keima's body. Eri was the only one being calm.

"What the hell is this?" Ayumi asked, pointing at them. Mio just realized they were caught cuddling at school and she immediately blushed and tried to move back, but Keima didn't let her.

"It's exactly what you see" he replied simply.

"Hello. I don't think we've met before" Miyako said, but Mio felt the other girl more or less knew who she was. After all, pretty much everyone heard of Mio at some point. She also realized the keyboardist was right – they've never officially met before.

"Umm… I'm Mio Aoyama. Keima's girlfriend" she added, as if feeling the need to mark her territory and it wasn't without a certain sense of pride.

"Aah… is that so?" Miyako was never deliberately mean to Keima and didn't pick on him, but even she showed surprise at the fact that he had a girlfriend. For a moment Mio even thought she saw… disappointment in her eyes.

Maybe it was her imagination.

"Wait" it was back to Ayumi. "You mean you're together. Like you" she pointed at Keima and then at Mio. "And her?

"Like you haven't seen us in the café" Mio told her. "And you've probably heard the rumors anyway."

"But… but" Ayumi stuttered.

"Oh… and it's Aoyama-san to you" Mio sneered, but only slightly – she didn't want to offend Keima's friends after all. Heck, they might even be considered _her_ friends. "But I'm in a good mood, so I'll let you call me Mio-san."

Ayumi didn't reply, turning to Eri instead, silently asking for support.

"Don't look at me" the bassist shrugged. "You should've believed me from the start."

Ayumi blinked, then glanced at Miyako, who continued to look politely surprised and finally her eyes rested on Chihiro, who had a growing _evil_ smile on her face.

"I gotta go" she said, typing furiously on her phone. "I kinda have to send a few mails."

Mio rolled her eyes. And she wasn't surprised when unbelieving and congratulatory mails started to swarm her mailbox during the next class period.

Speaking of the mails, Mio would think as she blushed, she would need to visit the younger of the Kasuga sisters and ask her to tell her older sibling to get her damned mind out of the freakin' gutter!

(* * *)

Granted, it was Keima's room and not the evening yard of the mansion scenery and they were wearing their school uniforms and not formal clothes, but the wave of nostalgia still hit Mio when she started the music.

At least she had brought some heels with her.

"So…" she started, but her voice came out hoarse out of nervousness, so she cleared her throat. "Can we do this?"

Keima seemed to be faring much better at least at the outside. "Can I have this dance?" he asked as he extended his hand.

Without a word Mio put her hand on top of his while fighting a blush. "But only if you put your glasses back on."

Keima deflated a bit, but did as he was told. "And here I thought you'd appreciate it."

"I do" Mio replied. "But we're training here, so I need you to see everything clearly."

Moreover, without glasses it was… easier to focus on the task at hand she thought as her blush intensified.

"So it's just dancing" Keima tried to make sure.

"Not really" Mio replied. "Umm… don't take it wrong way, but this time you'll be kinda participating in the event and-"

"And you need to hammer some manners into me?" he asked.

"Just the things you don't know already" she defended.

"And you want to do it while teaching me to dance?"

She shrugged. "We dance with our feet and speak with our mouths. Or are your multi-tasking skills not good enough for that?" she teased.

"You wish" he teased back.

(* * *)

"As I said, the clothes will be rented, so I-we should be able to afford them without problems" Mio continued to lecture Keima as she led him around the impromptu dance floor."As for the people… I'll introduce you to them and you should be able to remember all the names and titles well enough with that crazy brain of yours."

"So everyone out there will be important?" he asked.

"Yes and no" Mio replied. "The ones you should be really concerned with will be the three co-owners. They are fairly young, but still older than us…"

"So I have to pretend to be nice and keep my act together around them" Keima finished for her.

"Yes" Mio nodded. "As for others… the problem is that they'll be all adults and they're not exactly my allies."

"What do you mean?" Keima asked.

"Well… most were neutral to my father and some were his rivals" Mio explained. "Besides, back then I was rich and famous daughter of someone important" she hung her head low. "Right now I'm next to broke from their perspective."

"But you're still the daughter of your father, so you're still famous in their circle, right?" Keima asked. "And you'll be the co-owner of your father's company."

Mio smiled. "Those two things are the only reasons I can even get invitation to such parties" the music then changed. "Okay, time for a different dance."

Keima put his hand on her back and stepped closer, but Mio put her hands on his chest, keeping him at bay.

"What?" he asked.

"Distance" she told him. "During the party we can only dance with a proper distance. And your other hand" she grabbed the limb in question and placed it higher,slightly below her shoulder blades. "Goes here."

"If you say so" Keima did as he was told and Mio tried to ignore his hand brushing over her bra strap.

They have started dancing, Mio instructing Keima as they were turning around and avoiding colliding into furniture (thank god Keima didn't have many of those inside his room). As she predicted Keima was learning quickly and he could memorize the dance after one try. And he didn't step on her foot. Not even once. Mio could remember those other kids on parties a few years back who couldn't say that for themselves.

"Okay, that was teaching run" Mio said, as the music ended. "Let's do that dance one more time for a practice run."

"You're testing me?" Keima asked.

"And what if I am?" she asked back. "You chicken?"

"That's a blasphemy against God" he said with a glint in his eye. "I hope you're ready to accept punishment for it later, sinner."

"Oh, I'm shaking in fear" she replied with a confident grin.

They started dancing again, but it was hardly a test. Instead, they locked eyes and focused, concentrating on the rhythm and each other's movements. Waiting for the other to make a mistake. It was a battle, a competition during which they both tried to lead at the same time.

"Okay, that concludes our training session" she said when the music ended.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "This wasn't very long."

"We'll have a lot of time for practice before the first party… anyway, I have to admit it. Your learning skills are amazing" she praised, happy with the results. "But you still have some room to improve. You won't master a dance with just one practice session."

"You think so?" he asked calmly, making Mio a little anxious. "Then you should have no problem with one more spin."

Her first mistake was accepting the challenge, smiling cockily and offering him her hand again.

Her second mistake was not realizing they were now outside of practice and the "keep distance" rule no longer applied.

She only realized this when he gave her hand a small tug, making her almost collide into his straightened herself and instinctively wanted to step back, but she couldn't – his other hand was already gliding over her shoulder blades and continued to venture downwards and reluctantly stopping at the small of her back.

Mio suddenly realized she was trapped and even how new-found height boost was insubstantial in front of Keima. She looked up at him – adding another entry to her collection of mistake – his gaze made her swallow a lump in her throat. Her other hand was still on his chest, but she was unable, unwilling,to move it to his side where it should be.

"Ready?" he asked, giving her a moment to gather her thoughts and focus on the steps and not on their closeness, the firmness of his chest (huh? Since when?) and his smell (wait, he had one?). She tried to brush it off and remain professional.

In vain.

They started moving, but Mio was not used to being practically glued to Keima, separating only when he circled her around. The first time he had done this wasn't so bad, but the second time he pulled her back to him more firmly, their height difference being the only reason their lips didn't met.

And this was when her sync went to hell.

She regretted bringing heels when the unbelievable happened and she stepped on Keima's toes. The gamer's expression changed, but instead of a grimace of pain she saw a satisfied smile, which made her already flushed face redden was obviously in his conquest mode and her willpower was dwindling by the second. Maybe she should just stop resisting, let him win and start enjoying it?

Keima was apparently waiting for her resolution to waver, because he suddenly spun her around in a quick maneuver, a figure she didn't teach him and suddenly she found herself in a famous horizontal position, his hands wrapping around her waist and shoulders, preventing her from falling, his face close to hers, doing it with so much precision that it had to be planned beforehand.

She was done. If he wasn't going for a kiss then she'd be pissed.

Fortunately, he didn't disappoint, capturing her lips with his and for a moment helping her get rid of all her troubles and worries.

Aah… that felt good, she thought as they separated.

"Glad you think that way" he grinned.

Mio looked at him incredulous and then realized she said the last thing aloud. And then she freaked.

"I-idiot, you sly, perverted-"

"The tongue ever turns to the aching tooth" he interrupted her.

To this Mio freaked even more. W-what? What was he trying to imply there?

She got out of his hold and tried to put some distance between them, but she forgot his hands were the only thing preventing her from falling, so she stumbled back.

And then she forgot she was wearing heels and lost her balance.

Keima tried to catch her and he even succeeded, but he wasn't the sturdiest of males, Mio wasn't exactly a feather either and he was hunched over, his center of gravity shifted forward, resulting in both of them falling over.

Mio had expected a painful contact with the floor, but instead she landed on something considerably softer and definitely above floor level, Keima somehow propped himself on his hands before he crushed her.

It took her a moment to realize that what she landed on was Keima's bed when...

"Aah!"

Mio felt a distinct feeling of deja vu. She and Keima turned their heads to look at Eri. Except it wasn't Eri at the door.

It was Mari.

Mio felt her blood run cold, as she remembered Mari's talk about the rules and this situation certainly counted as "too frolic". She saw the red-head's eyes narrow and she waited for Mari to take off her glasses and go on a rampage. She could already hear the older woman yelling that Mio was "a woman not fit for her son" and how Mio "had failed her trust".

"So... you felt free to break my rules under my own roof?" Mari asked, her stern gaze fixed on them.

"N-no" Mio stuttered out, trying to save herself from losing her standing with Mari. But what was she supposed to say? It isn't what it looks like? Who would believe that?

"Well, I had the feeling my efforts won't stop you, no matter how strict I was" Mari continued, resignation clear in her voice.

"W-what?" Keima said exactly what Mio thought.

"Keima" Mari said, her stern gaze fixed on her son. "You're still in high school so you better be a responsible young man, you hear me?"

"Of course" Keima replied, now clearly angry. "Do you think I'd-"

"That's good then" Mari interrupted, now with a happy smile on her face. "Protection is important, after all. If you understand that much then I won't be disturbing you then."

And with that she closed the door and tip-toed away.

Mio spent the next half hour trying to get her flaming face under control, explaining to Mari over and over again that it wasn't like that and doing everything in her power to make sure the truth or rumors about this event won't reach any living soul, being it from Earth, Hell or Heaven.

(* * *)

The next few weeks passed by quickly and Mio spent them dividing her time between several activities.

First, there was school which brought both good and not so good things. School meant studying and the exams were slowly, but surely getting closer. Moreover, Nikaidō-sensei seemed to focus a lot of her attention on Mio and the blonde wasn't sure if this was Nikaidō keeping eye on "her oni-chan's girlfriend" or Nikaidō trying to honestly help her study (by brute methods, but still).

And it wasn't just Nikaidō. Two days after the start of the year Mio met Kusunoki in the corridors. It wouldn't be anything weird, but then Mio realized that the martial artist was supposed to have graduated already… and she spent the entire morning following Mio around as if trying to see through her intentions.

School also meant having to deal with Yui, but it wasn't so bad, because the drummer was seemingly lost on what to do and how to act. More problematic were the students who thought Mio was crazy for going out with the otamegane. Some even said he was the reason she had lost her fortune and such moments were when Mio had to stop herself from using her whip on those pesky commoners!

Aside from that, the school wasn't bad. Especially, since it was getting warm enough, so Keima and Mio could spend their lunch breaks on the rooftop and Mio certainly wasn't complaining.

Still, school was kind of a chore, but after school wasn't much easier. Mio continued to work part-time as a waitress at Café Grandpa. After that was done, she would go to Keima's room for some studying and then she would teach him more dancing and some other party-related stuff.

It was a lot of hard work. Mio would be lying if she said she'd do this rather than laze around on couch with Keima feeding her grapes. Or the other way around… she wasn't really picky about the roles – the perspective of Keima eating out of the palm of her hand didn't sound bad at all…even if it was just the literal meaning of the phrase.

But still, she had to work… if her father's death and the time she spent with Keima taught her anything then it was the meaning of hard work. So she did, recharging her batteries during her free time with Keima. The funny thing was that the most of their private time was actually business time. Like dancing sessions (distance! Keep the proper distance!). Or the times when they went to a restaurant to practice some table manners, which turned into a date of sorts. Still, they had some regular dates as well, like going to see a movie, watching sunset and things like that. There was even one forthe anniversary of their first meeting.

However, new school year also meant Keima had to divide his attention between his other… friend. Like having to listen to 2-B pencils play (shouldn't they study instead?) or watch the stars with Tsukiyo, limiting their private alone-time together even more. Still, Mio preferred to keep him company during those events, first, because those served as half-dates and second, just in case any of the other girls tried something.

That was how the April and half of May went by. The preparations were still not completed, but they've run out of time. Besides, some things need to be learned during practice, Mio thought one last time as she stepped out of the car, her heel-clad foot touching the cobblestone.

"Good luck, ojōsama" Morita said from his driver spot and made some kind of nodding gesture to Keima. "Good luck to both of you."

And with that he drove away, leaving the two teens on the pathway to the mansion – the very one in the backyard of which they first kissed. But this was one of the times when kissing wasn't on Mio's mind.

"Are you ready?" she asked him, but Keima knew that deep inside her she meant 'I'm scared'.

"Yes" he said, if he was worried in any way then it was impossible to gauge from his expression, even for her.

He offered his arm to her and she took it, giving their rented clothes one last look-over before biting her lip.

"Okay, let's do this" she said and they started walking towards the entrance to the mansion.

It was time to put their practice to test.

 **(* * *)**

 **So... quite a few things happening here. As usual, I had problems figuring out the title for this chapter and then it just... dawned on me. Well, I just hope the title fits xD.**

 **Anyway, going back to stuff. Nikaidō is now Mio's homerooom teacher (*put evil laugh here*), everyone knows, Mio's classmates don't exactly approve, Yui's running in circles and tries to change the image...  
**

 **...and Mio makes one false step and the world shakes. Was it a warning or a mere coincidence? Unfortunately for you, Mio's too smart to try it again, so you won't get the answer to that... at least not in MioNomi. ;)**

 **I also gave some screen time to Miyako and touched upon her view of Keima. I kinda ship those two together as well and there are quite a few moments in the manga that could be interpreted as Miyako actually liking Keima. So what you see here is kinda my personal headcanon.**

 **I also included some rumors about Keima from Minami's original conquest. Just sayin'.**

 **Going back, we have some formal and less-than-formal dancing lessons (I hope this will placate some of my readers... for now at least). I'm not dancing-expert and some of my descriptions are probably off (like hand-on-back placement), but I wanted to spice things up just a bit... which made Keima and Mio end up in a compromising position...**

 **...and then Mari appears and misinterprets (or does she?). Well, Mari herself was a rather young mother, so she tried to prevent the scenario repeating itself... but she kinda gave up now xD.**

 **And then the chapter ends with Mio and Keima going to the first party. What will happen there? Will Keima make some blunder? Will there be more dancing? how many chapters are left till we see the ending? You'll have to wait and see!**

 **As a side note: the mansion at the end is the one from the end of Mio's original conquest... but it is not the one which is located next to her apartment. If it were there'd no need for Morita to drive them there...**

 **It seems I've got all things out of the way (there's still one thing, but it's fairly trivial and not yet to be mentioned)... except for one.**

 **The truth is I want to prepare one small chapter for AyumiNomi.**

 **Yes, you've read that right – I want to make one additional chapter for a story I've already finished. It's kinda bonus and it won't contradict anything, but at the same time it's also fairly important. It won't be long either (at least I think so). The problem is... I didn't have time to write it yet... and the reason I'm announcing it is because I believe it'll make me finally sit down to it and write it, so stay tuned and await update to AyumiNomi!**

 **As usual I kindly ask you to support this story and leave a review at your leisure.**

 **I think that's it... vote on the poll (both of them actually) and stay tuned for next chapters of MioNomi and AyumiNomi.**

 **See you next time!**

 **And a Happy New Year, everyone!**


	19. Flag 59: Party tonight

**Hello, everyone! I'm back!**

 **At long last...**

 **I'm sorry that it took me so long to write this chapter, but I was busy with term ending and this chapter had parts that were rather difficult to write. Furthermore, I didn't know when I wanted to cut this chapter, so I wrote a little more then decided to cut it at ~6300 words (which is actually the average chapter size for MioNomi).**

 **A side-effect of this is that I as originally aiming at ending MioNomi at 21 chapters, but that seems nearly impossible now. We'll see.**

 **Anyway, here are some announcements before we go further.**

 **First: for those who haven't seen it yet: I've posted an "additional" chapter of AyumiNomi so I invite you all to give it a read.**

 **Second: I've made yet another poll. The idea behind polls is a little more elaborate, but because of the lack of time I'm using simple-to-design polls for now. This time it's goddess poll. Be sure to vote!**

 **Also the profile allows me to put only one poll at the time... but the forum doesn't have this restriction, so you can vote on all three polls there!**

 **Speaking of the forum: aside from polls and all topics there I've made new topic dedicated solely to KamiNomiNai series (the one you're reading now :) ). This is both to give my readers place to discuss things or ask questions and to reply to some reviews there to not use too much space here.**

 **Anyway, I invite all of my readers to contribute to the forum!**

 **As usual I want to thank all my readers for their support of this story, being it reading, following, favoriting or reviewing. And the previous chapters got 8 reviews, which is quite a lot. Thank you for that :). Here are the replies:  
**

 **Laialot Siedenumi:** Well, the AyumiNomi chapter is not exactly standalone, but there's no need to re-read everything. Just Flags 37 and 38, 'cause the new chapter is Flag 37.5... however, you're still free to re-read the whole thing :). And glad you liked previous chapter :).

 **Sir Sleeps-a-lot:** It's funny you mentioned Morita :). I'm glad you liked the introduction to the previous chapter (I was like: that was in the previous chapter... it seemed so long ago...). As for the perverted undertones: what are you talking about, there are no perverted undertones in my stories xD. About the earthquake, it's more about Mio having to keep her mouth shut, not about Yui giving up or not. Well, we've talked about the polls outside of reviews, so I'm not going to guess again. And thank you for the review. :)

 **Leyknar:** thank you :). I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

 **ZelgadisGW:** What? A dirt mind? Me? Where did you get that from? *snorts* xD. I can't really agree on the insensitive part. He's a far cry from his old insensitive self, like when he said "so what?" to Diana. He has changed throughout Goddesses Saga (and tried to fight those changes), Heart of Jupiter Saga (where he decided to try walking with everyone else), as well as throughout KamiNomiNai and MioNomi. The Miyako comment though. I'm very much tempted to introduce it, but we're too much into the story. But we'll have other Nomis to include that idea. I wonder what the result will be :P.

 **Normality Is Key:** Thank you for your review and your corrections. Is this the finale? I wonder... ;) Error free? I believe in one of Murphy's laws stating that "there's always one more bug". Or error. Or buggy-devil Elsie. Whichever you prefer (I pick Elsie! xD). Umm... the "editor" is just my text processor. It have been here all along and it underlines my mistakes (just not all of them is all). So you're efforts at finding my mistakes is still needed and appreciated :). I totally didn't intend for you to think what you thought concerning the first paragraph. Kusunoki. huh? I think I should start noting who likes who :).

 **Shawn Raven:** hello again and thank you for the detailed review :). For the sake of brevity I'll keep it short. I totally get you on the tying hair part. Totally :). Yui, huh? *scribbles in peoples' preferences notepad* xD. Oh, I assure you: the rules can be broken. You just have to pay for doing that :). Well, Chiihro was portrayed as journalist in official bonus material twice (once in the colord "ghost detective" page and once in "Once Upon A Time In Maijima" 10 pages spin-off story). That and her tendency to gossip and looking for ways to escape boredom make me include her in such roles :). You could say Chihiro in here is back to the "teasing Keima" mode. As for her being cool with Mio and Keima being together it was kinda resolved earlier when she and Ayumi visited Café Grandpa several chapter earlier. And the only one Miyako is fooling is Miyako xD. And Eri will take that firetruck now xD. Yes, Mari has some kind of a damn embarrassing-situation radar :P.

 **NiteyNite11:** Hello it's nice to see you back :). And thanks for the review :). Yes, there's time for fun and time for serious business. And then there's time for dirty dancing xD. Kanon, huh? *scribbling*

 **Dayin:** Thank you very much for your kind words and thank you for your valuable insights. Due to value of your comments I've decided to respond to that on the forum, so you and everyone interested can go there, read my reply and comment on it. And I hope you'll like this chapter as well :).

 **Sasori69:** I believe I replied to it already, but the polls are on the forum, with the fresh one on my profile page as well. Both of your ideas (for Miyako and for Mari) are really nice, though implementing them here would be difficult. However, maybe there's another solution, but that's a thing for the future. For now thank you for the review and your ideas :).

 **Okay, that's it for now. Let's get onto the chapter!**

 **Just be sure to read it carefully, 'cause it's not the easiest to understand. Parties and all.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

Despite their practice, Mio's hand suddenly felt strange as she clutched Keima's arm with it, but she tried to ignore it and focus on not tripping in her heels. Platform shoes? She was used to those, but high heels were more problematic. It couldn't be helped though – she needed those extra centimeters more then ever now.

After handing over their invitation, Mio and Keima walked inside. The exterior of the mansion was luxurious enough, but the interior was on another scale. It was really bright and everything was shiny. Floors. Walls. Furniture.

And of course people.

Nearly everyone were either in mixed-gender pairs or in groups made of such pairs. Lone figures were a rarity if not totally non-existent. Keima now understood why Mio insisted on having a partner. He now also fully understood the need for better clothes, even if they could only afford to rent them – even with them it felt as if they were underdressed.

Mio and Keima walked through the hall and instantly the boy could feel the countless eyes directed at him, as if everyone had nothing better to do than stare at them. Despite that, he couldn't spot anyone actually looking at them, not without staring back anyway – a sign of how adept the people here were at observing others.

"They're assessing us" Mio mouthed to him while smiling politely to everyone else. Keima replied with a near imperceptible nod. He was warned of that as well. But he knew it wasn't just him they were interested in. Even during her wealthy days, Mio didn't attended such formal events too often and that was the first time everyone saw her in a long time. This was also the first time Mio attended a party without her parents. And while she looked calm, Keima could sense she was nervous.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly. Shouldn't she be good at ignoring people?

"I might be late saying it, but I don't exactly belong here anymore. And you never did" her eyes kept wandering around, as if looking for some safe haven. "They'll figure us out."

"We don't really have to belong. We just need to look the part" Keima reminded her. "Humans are creatures of imagination. Especially here. As long as we can play our roles, and I know we can, it'll be fine."

"Right" Mio replied, trying to maintain proud, polite and slightly haughty expression, but her stomach was churning. This situation… this responsibility... it was way different from when she just attended the parties with Papa. And almost everyone here was adult.

Well-dressed, experienced and tall adults.

Calm down, she thought to herself. You don't have to talk with most people here. Just do what you have to do and talk to who you need to talk to. Mio looked at Keima from the corner of her eye and wasn't surprised to see that he was way more collected than her. Unlike her he didn't give a damn what others thought of him for the most of his life, so he was much more resistant to the pressure of the real.

Unless you were talking about games, of course. In such cases even casual remarks from Tsukiyo or Kosaka could provoke a response from him and Mio had to stifle a chuckle when she thought that.

"Aoyama-san" a soft voice snapped her attention to several figures standing by themselves. Mio put on the best noblewoman smile she could muster, while Keima went for more serious expression. It was time for the first and most important event.

First impression.

Mio and Keima approached the group.

"Good evening" Mio said as soon as they were close.

"Good evening" a tall, handsome and formally-dressed man in his twenties replied. "We are glad you managed to come."

"I agree" another man, shorter and looking not only formal, but also kind of stiff nodded. "With the four of us here it would be possible to-"

"Am I hearing you right?" the last person, a raven black-haired woman in a stunning dress interrupted the man. "You want to discuss about business when we have not been properly introduced, yet?" she glanced at Keima curiously.

"You are right" the shorter man replied, but he didn't look concerned by his faux pas.

Mio however wasn't planning on making one herself.

"Aizawa-san, Okajima-san, Yoshitake-san, I would like to introduce to you Keima Katsuragi, my partner."

The last word left a bitter taste in her mouth, but it couldn't be helped. Calling Keima a future husband would be a lie, as they weren't engaged and "boyfriend" wouldn't really work for those people. Above a certain age a girl like Mio could only have male family members, husband, future husband or a partner.

There was nothing in-between.

Obviously, Keima had been warned about that, so he didn't react or comment. Instead, he just bowed formally.

The gesture was executed flawlessly. The taller man didn't really react, while the black-haired woman lifted one of her eyebrows in pleasant surprise. The shorter man was the worst at hiding his reactions – from the look on his face he clearly didn't expect this.

"Keima" Mio turned to her boyfriend, encouraged by the success so far. "I want to introduce you to the other three members of the board of directors of the Aoyama Central Industries. The lady is Kazuha Aizawa, daughter of Tadahito Aizawa, the movie producer" the woman know as Aizawa bowed slightly and smiled at Keima. "This is Takashi Okajima, from those Okajima" the taller man bowed as well and proceeded to shake Keima's hand, but he didn't smile, scrutinizing Keima. "And finally, here is Kagami Yoshitake. He invests in several branches at once and managed to succeed in all of them" the shorter man shook hands with Keima as well.

Keima didn't comment or look surprised by the introduction. The reason being that Mio told him about those three before.

'Aizawa's father is famous, but he didn't see her as nowhere near capable enough to get over his company' Keima remembered Mio lecturing him. 'Thus, she focused on something smaller, but promising, like Papa's company. She currently holds 15% of the shares of the Aoyama Central Industries. Next one, Yoshitake doesn't come from any famous family or anything like that, but he had very good skills at playing the stock exchange and he got rich quick. Now he tries to exert control over his assets – his biggest ownership share is within Papa's company and he own 25% of it. Finally, there's Okajima. His family is really famous, though they operate in a different part of Japan. Actually, Okajima is kinda opposite of Aizawa's – he refuses to follow in his father footsteps, so he rebelled and ended up here. Papa's company is the best he can do for now. Just as me, or rather my mother, he holds 30% of the company's shares.'

"It has been some time, Aoyama-san" Aizawa started once the introduction were over. "I am sorry for you loss."

"Thank you" Mio replied with a stony face.

"So a partner, huh?" Aizawa repeated, while looking at Mio and Keima could swear he saw a well-masked glint of mischief in her eyes. He suddenly felt as if he met a noblewoman version of Hinoki or Apollo. "The last time I saw you, you rejected both of Kojima brothers during one party. So I guess you found someone worthy of you?"

"Yes, I guess you could say that" Mio said proudly, bringing Keima closer to her with a subtle tug of her arm. Keima knew this was necessary, but he also had the feeling the Mio was secretly happy to show off her boyfriend, though he hardly knew what was there to show off – certainly he wasn't considered a catch by the people here.

On the other hand, it could be also an advantage Mio wanted to use to level the relationship between her and the other three owners and reduce the obvious impediment that was her younger age. However, that tactic worked only if the other three were singles and it actually seemed like that was the case.

It wasn't so shocking in the case of Yoshitake, who was a nouveau riche and the elite's equivalent of a nerd. However, it was weird to see Okajima and Aizawa without partners and Mio suspected that the riddle had a very simple explanation: the man and woman in question were dating secretly or at least leaned towards each other. Maybe them being both in a board of directors of the same company was what was stopping them from entering a relationship?

"How is your mother, Aoyama-san?" Okajima asked.

"She is well, thank you" Mio responded.

"But she did not come tonight" Yoshitake said as if he thought the fact the Mikoto Aoyama was absent wasn't emphasized enough. "I thought this was supposed to be a business meeting."

"It is" Mio said shortly.

"Without the company president?" Yoshitake asked.

"I am her representative. It was in the memo the president sent you, am I right?" Mio asked.

"Yes" Yoshitake admitted, though it was clear he wasn't too keen to talk business with a 17-year-old girl. However, what made him even more disturbed was the gaze Keima was sending him. It wasn't a glare or anything like that, but Yoshitake still felt as if he was the less important of the two.

"No-one here is questioning the president's decision" Okajima scrutinized Yoshitake for a moment. "Or your place in the board, Aoyama-san. Quite the opposite – I wish you get university degree quickly and make the company prosper and we and the president will take care of it until you are ready to serve as the executive officer."

"I agree" Yoshitake said, trying not to look at Keima.

"I do as well" Aizawa joined in. "And I think that is this board's most agreeable decision yet."

This was as close to a joke as you could get in the company of Yoshitake or Okajima, though Mio felt Aizawa was a little disappointed that her comment rose so few smiles. As for Mio herself, it didn't seem all that funny either.

It seemed snow frolics, Eri's antics, hers and Keima's mother's teasing as well as Urara's and Keima's jokes were much more funny to her.

"As usual you can lighten the party, at least amongst the youth, Aizawa-san" a new voice interjected.

All five of them turned to see a figure approaching them. It was a young man, no more than 20 years old and someone that Keima would describe as "real with low physical parameters".

He had short hair, which was styled, but still looked a little fatty. It wasn't just the hair though – his face was round and he was fat. There was no other way of putting it. And he wasn't all that tall. He was actually visibly shorter than Keima – maybe even shorter then average Japanese man – but he was making up for this with his bulky figure and expensive-looking clothes.

"That's Giichi Higuchi" Mio mouthed to Keima discreetly when the others were busy looking at the boy in question. "His father, Kazushi Higuchi is a very prominent figure and his uncle is the host of this party."

All she got back from Keima on the outside was a small nod of acknowledgement. He still had the politely pleased and stoic expression on his face, but his mind was working full throttle, remembering all that he knew about Higuchi family. They weren't a direct rivals to the Aoyama, even though their concern was with heavy industry as well, but the two couldn't be called best friends either. While they didn't directly profit from the fall of Aoyama they did absorb some of their leftover branches, expanding their own business in the process.

"Higuchi-san" Okajima acknowledged. "How is your father doing? I heard there were some problems."

"It is fine now" the boy called Giichi replied, taking a bite from the overflowing-with-food plate he was holding. "Father did feet a little weak after the last few busy days, so he could not come today. It is nothing surprising at his age. But he is still strong and fully capable of running the company… that reminds me" he turned to Mio. "It is a little late, but please accept my condolences. The passing of your father was… unfortunate."

"Thank you" Mio replied, although her throat tightened a little. "I take it that your father's company is doing well then?"

"Naturally" Higuchi replied, a glint appearing in his eyes, a prideful smile almost dividing his plump face in two. "I am proud to announce that our revenue for the last two years has once again doubled."

"Is that so?" Aizawa asked and if Keima didn't know better he would've thought she was happy to hear that Higuchi company was doing well. "I have heard your economy branch suffered due to the crisis and demographic issues. Did it not affect your production?"

"It did not" the boy said with delight. "You see, father has foreseen such problems a long time ago. He is a brilliant businessman with uncanny intuition, skill, experience, capital and 23% of the prefecture chemical industry market."

Yeah and yo momma is so fat she has 2 zip codes, Mio thought, not sure if she wanted to laugh or puke.

It wasn't a guess either – Mio once saw the supposed wife of Kazushi Higuchi. Supposed, because it was hard to believe the old man Higuchi could actually marry such a… thing. The rumor was that the young Kazushi indeed had a brilliant mind and skill, but he had no money to his name, so he grudgingly married a woman who inherited a substantial fortune. Unfortunately, the woman wasn't a beauty to say the least and with a weight exceeding that of a newborn elephant it made it easier to jump over her rather than go around her. Mio wondered if the need to get away from his wife was what caused Kazushi to direct all his effort to work and building the Higuchi empire. If Mio had to choose between being a short scrawny poor girl and looking like the Higuchi noblewoman then she'd pick scrawny any day of the week...

"All of that is very interesting, Higuchi-san" Okajima said, his voice turning a bit colder for some reason. "But I think you have mentioned all that the last time we saw each other."

"True" Giichi replied. "But Aoyama-san wasn't there last time and I presumed she would like to, pardon the expression, keep close tabs on our business dealings anyway. Correct me if I am wrong" he addressed Mio directly.

His gaze and use of common expression in his language weren't accidental, Keima noted. It was more like a jab at Mio's financial situation. A challenge. Or a test. Mio, however, passed it with flying colors.

"I was privy to this information already" she replied calmly with a smile. "However, your concern is appreciated and you are free to disclose more information any time you wish."

Giichi shrugged, which was barely visible through his suit. "It is not secret information… but perhaps we should change topic. We do not want to be rude to our guest, who must be bored by this conversation" he finished, glancing at Keima.

So once Giichi saw Mio wasn't easily swayed by his comment he decided to target Keima instead.

"You do not have to worry about that, I am not bored at all, Higuchi-san" Keima replied, his face calm. Passive even. As if he was actually bored, mocking Giichi. "Actually, it is quite the opposite – the annual financial report of Higuchi Industries seems like a fascinating topic."

"Do not hesitate to ask away then" Giichi invited.

Aizawa made a motion that was a deeply repressed hiss, warning that the invitation was meant to bring the adversary into familiar territory and crush him. Keima didn't need that warning though.

"During your speech it came to my attention that you were talking about revenue from the last years activities" he said. "However, I do not remember any mention of any actual profit."

"The profit is a derivative of revenue" Giichi smiled haughtily, the tone of a parent lecturing a child poorly hidden. "Thus, the record revenue is tied to record profit."

"Profit is derivative of both revenue and cost" Keima reminded, but Giichi was unmoved. And Mio started to sweat.

What was Keima trying to do?

"That is of course true, but the cost did not increase much, while the revenue doubled" Giichi closed his eyes while his smile was now looking more like a smirk. He apparently thought the discussion was over.

"But the current costs are not everything, right Higuchi-san?" Keima asked.

"I cannot say I understand" Giichi remarked.

"The revenue is accounted as soon as it is realized, which means the investments of the past 2 years will not generate any further revenue."

"What does it matter?"

"It matters because those past investments might have hidden costs which were not accounted for yet. Those will not be visible in the perspective of the financial report, but they will happen and will result in lower liquidity of the company" Keima explained.

"That holds only if such hidden costs exist" Giichi countered, but his smile was looking even more fake now. "Do they?"

"I think it would be best if you directed those questions to the Sakoda and Mawatari companies, Higuchi-san."

Aizawa and Okajima looked at Keima with some surprise, not noticing that Mio was openly gaping at her boyfriend. Ironically, Yoshitake was the only one who stayed calm, but his lips morphed into a small and warm smile.

"You are very well-informed" Giichi also smiled, though it certainly wasn't warm before he lifted his half-filled glass. "To you" he said and drank it.

This was both an act of respect, but also the last attempt at a jab. Not only was Keima and Mio not allowed to drink yet, but Giichi also ignored Mio altogether.

"I would love to stay and hear about your theories more, but there are other guests who I need to entertain, so excuse me."

A series of bows later he was gone.

But the effects of Keima's stunt very much remained. Yoshitake seemed nervous, as if he couldn't wait to talk with Keima privately and drag him into some schemes of his, while Aizawa looked as if she was stopping from loudly expressing her approval. Okajima returned to his calm behavior, but he didn't look so tall anymore.

"I suggest we continue our previous discussion by the tables" Yoshitake gestured to the row of food-loaded tables by the walls. "What do you say, Aoyama-san, Katsuragi-san?"

"Naturally" Mio responded and Keima nodded slowly.

"I think we should not restrict ourselves to that one topic. I am sure Katsuragi-san has a lot of others topics to discuss" Aizawa smiled at him the most honest smile Keima saw during this party yet.

Okajima just nodded and that's when Mio knew that they've passed the first impression test.

(* * *)

"So, Katsuragi-san, was it?" Yoshitake said as he was surveying the table full of food compared to which Sumire's colorful rāmen looked plain. "What are your thoughts about the future of the company?" he asked as he put more colorful blotches onto his plate. "Do you think it is possible to restore its former size?"

"For God's sake, Yoshitake-san" Aizawa interrupted, turning to the shorter man from where she was talking with Mio, clearly annoyed. "Do you always need to talk about business? The purpose of this party is to commemorate the anniversary of Higuchi-san and his wife" of course she meant Higuchi the uncle of Giichi.

"I disagree. Every opportunity is good to discuss business and this one is better than most of them" Yoshitake responded plainly, but Aizawa wasn't beaten yet.

"Aside of that, Katsuragi-san is a guest here and he is not on the board. Don't you think you should discuss that with Aoyama-san instead?"

"In business you need to be objective and Katsuragi-san is far less biased of the two. No offense" Yoshitake directed this last part to Mio. Despite that not-fully-rude gesture, it was evident that he viewed youth and women as less capable and the thought of Mio having power over him when she didn't bring anything to the company yet was angering him. However, he seemed strangely comfortable with Keima.

"None taken" Mio responded somehow pulling off a smile while grinding her teeth. "Actually, I am curious myself. What do you think about it Keima?"

"Well, I think there is a lot of potential for… aggressive expansion" Keima started. "But it carries a lot of risk."

"Do elaborate" Yoshitake spurred him on.

"What you should aim at is profit" Keima continued. "But that profit depends not only on the company itself but also on the competition. Market moves as one organism."

"Are you suggesting we purposely restrict our growth and keep a low profile in order to avoid the big fish and financial sharks?" Yoshitake mused.

"That is precisely what I meant" Keima confirmed. "Not only expansion is risky, but the profit is not worth the effort."

"Profit is always worth the effort" Yoshitake said clearly. "And I say we aim high."

"If the board wills it" Keima interjected. It was a simple fact and Yoshitake only nodded his head, but Mio knew Keima better than anyone else here. She could sense the underlying threat.

It was then that Okajima returned from the talk and a drink with some older couple.

"How did it go?" Aizawa asked.

"Not too good" Okajima took a plate for himself. "I did not realize it would be this hard to get support without my father."

"Are you trying to get more people on the board?" Mio asked.

"That would be good" Okajima nodded. "More capital is always good."

"See what I meant" Yoshitake said and under Okajima's questioning gaze he continued. "Katsuragi-san had just suggested we keep the company small to avoid stepping into someone's yard and getting hurt."

"There is some truth in that" Okajima admitted. "But it is better to aim higher. When you are at the top you can always retire or slow down, but getting to the top is a chance of a lifetime and you cannot choose when to do this."

Mio didn't agree about the "you can slow down" part and the look Keima gave her meant he thought that as well. However, there was no time to discuss it further, as the music suddenly become much more than a background decoration. Then there was an announcement and people started to move.

"Dancing time" Aizawa said, sounding surprisingly cheerful, offering her hand to Okajima, who took it without changing his expression. Yoshitake looked as if he was stopping himself from snorting, but he had no choice – leaving the party early was out of the question. Even he knew that.

"Let us proceed to the ballroom" Aizawa suggested and the rest followed.

(* * *)

Mio was shocked to discover than the "dancing time" was actually hardest part of the entire event.

In particular, she had to stop herself from laughing out in glee and getting too close to Keima as they were dancing slowly.

"Weren't you the one who nagged me about the distance all the time?" Keima asked as they circled slowly.

"Yes and I'll nag you again: keep the proper distance" she countered.

"Wait. It's your fault and still I'm the one who gets blamed?" he asked.

"Yup" Mio told him. "The leader always gets the blame."

"Leader? Me?" Keima seemed really surprised. "Isn't it you who are the leader, Miss Company-president-in-training?"

"I don't know. The way this is going they'll offer you place on the board in no time" Mio shot back.

Keima was quiet for a moment.

"So you don't want me on the board" he spun her around slowly. "Are you afraid I'm going to steal your company from you and crush your dream?"

"Don't be stupid. Why would I be afraid?" she asked. "I've told you already: I trust you."

"But you don't want me on the board" he stated.

"Of course, I don't" she said and when Keima looked surprised she sighed. "Isn't it obvious? First, I wanted your help with this, but only a little bit. I won't make you a businessman who would need to deal with such people everyday."

"And second?"

"I don't want you to be seen as just an asset to the company. A cell in a spreadsheet that can be evaluated and controlled. You're not company's. Or theirs. Or Yoshitake's" Mio's voice became less soft and her eyes darkened. "You're mine."

"And I thought Yui was territorial" Keima sighed, but he didn't look displeased. "You're dangerous, you know that?"

"Speaking of dangerous. What was the thing that you said about Higuchi that make him run with his tail between his legs" Mio changed the topic. "That part about Sakoda and Mawatari companies."

"Oh… it's just that those three companies created a conspiracy and achieved their profits through price-fixing and they've blundered" Keima smiled a little. "For now this issue is only forming and not publicly known, but it will most likely result in prosecution."

"Wait a moment" Mio furrowed her brow. "You said it wasn't publicly known. How can you possibly know about this?"

"Through combined powers of Nora and old man Shiratori."

"What did you have to do to have them do that?"

"As for Shiratori, nothing really, he was happy to help. I think he believes he's in my debt. However, as for Nora... I've been writing her reports for two weeks now… She reminds me of Nikaidō at times" he sighed. "There's something I'd like to know as well."

"Sure" Mio told him.

"What was the thing with the Kojima brothers?" he asked.

Mio's face suddenly went red.

"Umm… it was something that happened 3 years ago" she started. "I might've been scrawny, but I was already 14 years old and an heir to Papa's company. The only reason I haven't been getting marriage proposals was because I was arrogant and feisty. Most guys want a quiet and obedient wife. Like Yui from before. But Kojima brothers were different."

"Go on" Keima spurred her on.

"It's not really complicated" Mio shrugged. "They offered to... court me and I thought they were buffoons not worth of my time, so I showed them their place."

"By having Morita torture them?" Keima asked.

Mio blinked once. Then twice. And then realized what Keima was referring to – the beginning of her conquest when he confessed to her and she rejected him.

Harshly.

"T-that's different!" she said a little too loud and a gaze or two dancers close to them could be seen, but Mio paid no attention to it. She hanged her head, her face cast into shadow. "I never apologized for that one, did I?"

"I was joking" Keima looked worried now. "You don't have to apologize. Actually, I was kinda buffoon unworthy of your time as well."

"No, you weren't" Mio replied, her voice both softening and almost stuck in her throat. "I paid too much attention to wealth I didn't even have anymore and I hurt people who cared for me. You didn't deserve what I did to you."

Keima bit his lip. While he certainly didn't mind seeing Mio's softer dere-dere side he couldn't have her go all mushy in here.

"How about we talk about this after the party?"

"Yeah, we can do that" Mio offered him a small smile. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Keima nodded and they continued dancing, although Mio internally face-palmed.

Make it up to him, she thought. How? She probably enjoyed their make-out sessions more than he did! What was she supposed to do? Make him a dinner or something using her non-existent cooking skills?

Ugh… she needed to learn at least one edible dish before she graduates high school.

The music ended and Keima let go of her. Mio thought she'd have enough time to calm down before the music started again, however she didn't predict what came next.

"Aoyama-san."

She turned to see a man in the middle of his thirties. And he wasn't a stranger.

"Himura...-san?" she asked as she recognized one of her Papa's former managers, who had to change jobs after the fall of the company.

The man nodded and extended his hand. "May I have the pleasure of dancing with you, ojōsama?"

Mio glanced at Keima and the boy nodded. Mio thought she would feel angry that she required his permission – she wasn't his property and she could decide for herself, even with all this proper-manners stuff. However, she felt something different. Shouldn't Keima scowl or something? Would he refuse to let her dance with another man if they were engaged?

Himura saved her the embarrassment of realizing what she had just thought by taking her hand and proceeding to dance with her as the music resumed.

"It has been some time, Aoyama-san" Himura said. "I see you are doing well."

"Yes" Mio managed somehow. The man nodded his head.

"It is good to hear that. I was afraid of the damage that the passing of your father had caused, but I am glad that I was wrong and you managed to stay as you were" he smiled a little. "Or should I say that you seem to be doing better than ever?"

"What do you mean?" Mio was honestly perplexed. Was Himura always like this?

"You are carrying yourself differently and, forgive me for saying this, but you seem much more… gentle and approachable."

"Oh… right" she didn't know what to say to this. "Things change, huh? Speaking of that, what are you doing here?"

"When the company faced a crisis I went to look for another job, but nothing was like what I have expected… thus I opted to create my own company."

"So a big change have been occurring in your life, Himura-san" Mio said offering him an honest smile.

"I was about to say the same thing" Himura smiled as well.

"What do you mean?" Mio asked, but she knew the answer.

"That boy you came with. Is he your fiancé?"

"What? N-no!" Mio exclaimed, her face red. "I mean not yet…"

"So he is your boyfriend" Himura concluded. "He looks like a good man."

"He is…"

(* * *)

After Mio went to dance with Himura, Keima continued to observe the pair for a few seconds.

What now? Was he supposed to dance with those older women? He turned around and spotted Aizawa walking nearby. Before he could decide whether he wanted her to notice him she spotted him.

"Katsuragi-san?" she smiled at him. "You did not run away from your partner, did you?"

Keima shook his head and offered his hand.

"May I have this dance?"

"Naturally."

(* * *)

"So how did you end up in this kind of place, Katsuragi-san?"

For several minutes Aizawa stayed mostly quiet aside from complimenting his dancing skills, so that question was a bit surprising.

"What do you mean?" Keima played dumb. He also noted that her tone and way of speaking changed, becoming less formal.

"I admit you make a rather good impression" Aizawa nodded in approval. "But you're not a person from this world."

Keima returned the nod. "Is that a problem?"

"If this isn't your world then why bother?" she asked.

"To get my hands on the company?" Keima suggested and was surprised when the woman he was dancing with laughed, seeming honestly amused.

"You underestimate me, Katsuragi-san" she said. "I already know you don't want to take over the company. And I know you're here for your girlfriend."

So she asked despite knowing the answer, forcing Keima to take back his previous assumption. Aizawa wasn't like a mix between Hinoki and Apollo. She was more like a fusion between Hinoki and Kaori – confident, flashy, intelligent and crafty.

"Is that a problem?" he repeated, testing if she would accuse him of being rude, but she didn't.

"That depends" Aizawa said.

"I take it that my actions are not a common thing to do in business?" he asked, while scanning the ballroom. Mio was currently dancing with Okajima.

"Yes and no" Aizawa put on a mysterious smile. "You sometimes help your close business partners. And family. Including future family" her smile faded. "Actually, the problem is not with you, but with your girlfriend."

"You don't think she fits into this world of yours?" Keima asked, forgetting or not caring about being rude anymore. "You don't want her to take over the company."

"Don't get me wrong" Aizawa replied. "She has some time to learn. And she can remain on the board, while holding 10% or less of the shares. That way she can still benefit. But up till now she was just a kid and without her father this world would be a harsh place for her. Just tell her that."

Keima didn't say anything, but inside he was thinking.

Yoshitake was business-minded person, making him a good co-worker. Okajima was wealthy and ambitious. Aizawa was surprisingly kind and cheerful. All three of them had some positive sides...

...but at the same time all three of them had another side to them. In some circumstances they could be very dangerous and whether they actually supported Mio's decision was unknown.

What should he do about this?

"There you are" he heard a familiar voice and turned to see Mio. He was about to say something, but Aizawa beat him to it.

"Ah, Aoyama-san, you are here at least" the raven-haired woman said with a smile, before walking closer to Mio and leaning closer to whisper. "You should not leave an inexperienced man for longer periods of time. I cannot be there to protect your partner for you all the time, can I?"

Mio blinked back, speechless, but Aizawa only nodded at the both of them and walked in the direction of Okajima.

(* * *)

"So she did say that, huh?" Mio said after the party was over and they were walking through the gardens back to the gate. "You think she is just worried or is she trying to oppose me becoming the president?"

"I don't know" Keima replied.

Mio considered asking him if he's met characters similar to Aizawa in one of his games, but she bit her tongue. She didn't want him envisioning a route for any girl other than herself.

"Still, it'd be best to keep an eye on her" she suggested. "I can do that paperwork for that blonde devil if she helps us with this."

"It's not Aizawa that I'm worried about" Keima said.

"Then who?" Mio asked. "That fatso Giichi? You don't have to worry about him. Okajima, Yoshitake, Aizawa, me. If there's something all four of the board are going to agree on is that Giichi has to be kept away from us, so it won't be a problem."

"And what about Yoshitake and Okajima?" Keima asked.

Mio shrugged. "Yoshitake likes to be a part of everything, but he'd rather collect profit than make decisions and run a company, so he's not a problem. Okajima though… he has 30% of the shares and seems ambitious. It'd be better to keep an eye on him as well."

Keima nodded. One second later they heard a voice.

"Ojōsama!"

It was Morita who was calling to them from where he was standing next his car, keeping the door open for them.

"So how did it go?" the chauffeur asked after they were seated inside.

"As well as we could ask for in this situation" Mio replied and then sighed. "But it wasn't easy."

"Is anything ever easy?" Keima commented.

"Course it is… when one is a genius like you" she playfully punched his arm.

Morita move slightly and Keima had to wonder about the driver's feelings about him being Mio's boyriend. On one hand, Morita was happy Mio found a boyfriend who was an ordinary person (except he didn't know Keima was anything but ordinary). On the other hand, he was also wary of everyone who got close to his ojōsama.

Yes, Morita cared for Mio very much, Keima thought as he watched the driver put the car into gear. Him abandoning her back during Keima's conquest was mainly his last resort to make Mio change her mind about acting rich and his strategy actually bore some fruit as Keima concluded from Mio's memories he'd got.

Anyway, the late president's chauffeur was somewhat of a godfather to Mio and supported her, but he was also fond of her, despite the haughty personality she had before the conquest. Morita said he was "working as ojōsama's chauffeur", but he was doing it rarely and was paid very little. This job obviously wasn't how he earned his living. However, he wanted to remain, by Mio's side and perceived this as the duty he liked to call "job".

Keima's train of thought was interrupted when Mio leaned on him.

"Are you sleepy?" he asked.

"You aren't?" she asked back.

"No."

"Good" she told him before turning to her driver. "Morita!"

"Yes, ojōsama?"

"Change of plans, make a detour."

"To where?"

"Doesn't matter, just don't drive directly home. And keep your eyes on the road" Mio told him before she turned back to Keima, a smirk on her lips that Keima could only describe as predatory.

"Did I do good today?" Mio asked him.

"Yes…"

"You did great as well" she told him, before her shoulders slumped a little.

"But that party was really taxing."

"Ermm… yes?" Keima was a bit lost right now.

"I did good and I'm stressed" Mio clarified before she all but jumped on Keima, straddling him, his eyes widening at her boldness, but she only grinned. "I think I deserve both a reward and some stress relief."

The car jerked, when Morita's leg slipped over the accelerator pedal, but Mio didn't notice or didn't care, her attention focused solely on Keima, making him feel like a mouse being stared down by a cat, before Mio crashed her lips to his.

Maybe being a mouse wasn't so bad after all.

 **(* * *)**

 **So here we have the party. Glamor. And stares. Luxury. And jabs.**

 **It's like a banquet... held on a battlefield. Like a minefield laid down on a dance floor.  
**

 **But Keima and Mio did good, don't you think? :)**

 **I wonder what'll happen now. Which of the newly introduced or mentioned characters (and there's 9 or so) will become important and which are there just because? Will there'll be only parties from now on or will Mio and Keima find some time to spend with each other?**

 **You'll have to wait to find out! :P Though I'll try to post much faster this time. I have 1500 words already, so that's a plus.**

 **Anyway, after reading this you probably know why this chapter is hard to read. All that names and relationships... This also made this chapter hard to write. Having to think up names. Looking up various things. Stuff like that.**

 **Furthermore, as you can see from this chapter I have next to zero knowledge about formal events as such. Like I've no idea to who you hand over the invitation. If you do that at all. You can point out my mistakes in the reviews :P.**

 **Also since it's quite difficult for me to portray formal Japanese speech in English, so I did it by avoiding use of contractions (except for things like "company's" and "don't you think").**

 **As I said, there's a lot of names here and to keep this simply stick I tried to stick to surnames only (except for Higuchis, because there are three characters here that have that surnames: fat junior Giichi, senior Kazushi and the uncle) and I advice you to do the same. So the board of directors consists of Aizawa, Okajima, Yoshitake and Aoyama (currently Mikoto, Mio in the future).**

 **Also, don't be fooled – the sole purpose of Giichi was so he could serve as a butt of the "ya momma is so fat" joke. I needed that joke to happen for... reasons.**

 **Morita appeared in the previous chapter, but here I wanted to comment on the info found in the manga omake of Mio and the Aoyamacho station chapter in "The World God Only Knows – On The Train" spin-off manga. That info was a little weird (like Morita continuing to drive Mio and saying he'd be "out of a job") and kinda contradicting each other (the original omake has Morita tell Mio she'd be walking to school on her own from now on). And, me being me, I wanted to somehow connect those two pieces of information to the main storyline. So I did it :).**

 **And speaking of Morita – how do you like the ending of the chapter? xD**

 **Scratch that! Hod do you like the chapter as a whole? Please let me know this in your reviews. I'll look forward to them.  
**

 **And like this we're getting closer to the end, though probably a lot of in-story time will pass before that happens.**

 **That's it for now.**

 **See you later!**


	20. Flag 60: Grapes, swimsuits and dresses

**Hello everyone! I'm back yet again!**

 **And I brought you nearly ten thousand words worth of a chapter. I hope it is worth all the wait. And we're getting closer and closer to the ending of MioNomi. You'll have to wait a little more, but we're getting there.**

 **Anyway, continuing my new tradition (no, I didn't forget about pokemakes :P), I made another poll. This one concerns the girls from the TWGOK light novels. I'm aware that probably not many of you have read them, but if you did, please vote on my profile or on the forum!**

 **As always, thank you for all your support, even if the number of reviews dropped for some reason. Anyway, here are the replies:**

 **Normality Is Key:** thanks for the review :). That is a lot of mistakes however... how did I end up making all of those xD. Anyway, thanks for your good words. I'm glad you liked the part atmosphere written by someone who wasn't at nothing even remotely close to such a party. I hope this chapter will be to you liking as well. :)

 **Sir Sleeps-a-lot:** Yay! I got my first hand-written review! That's really neat :). Moving on, what do you mean Yoshitake is stupid? xD He's just not as socially adept as most people there. And yes, Okajima and Aizawa are dating, but are trying to hide that. As for the number of people in the board of directors – Aoyama Heavy Industries is now a pretty small company, so four people is justified (they have more employees though). Yeah, "yo momma" jokes for... reasons. Glad you're liked that part :). And yes – teens those days. :P **  
**

 **ZelgadisGW:** Isn't it? And why are you laughing at Giichi? It's not like he's background character created to be a butt of a joke xD. And Mio's not possessive at all. And she totally wouldn't order Morita to use earplugs. Totally :P. **  
**

 **Shawn Raven:** I think that's your shortest review as far as I remember. It's a good change of pace though, so no worries. Yes, Aizawa came out as capricious cause she is... and yeah... I get the point :P. I don't know about 1930s, but that doesn't seem like a bad notion. Anyway, thanks for the review and I hope you'll like this chapter as well :). Oh... I almost forgot. Concerning last AyumiNomi update: I've seen your pokemake demand. I might make one at some point. However, I'm kinda lost on how you'd see it, so maybe you should try and make one yourself? I'm kinda curious what you could come up with. :) **  
**

 **Okay, that's it. No more dilly-dallying!**

 **Enjoy the chapter!  
**

 **(I seriously need help with chapter titles)**

 **(* * *)**

With the first party over, the following days were spent with Mio dividing her attention between schoolwork, part-time waitressing and spending time with her friends.

Then there was second party. And then third. And then another. Those were nowhere near regular, but usually took place two or three times a month. Thus, Mio and Keima had attended two more standing parties, one official dancing party and one banquet. That last one was the biggest challenge yet – what with all the seating orders and complex cutlery. Despite that they were doing fairly well, as Keima seemed competent enough to impress Yoshitake and Aizawa. Perhaps even Okajima, though it was difficult to tell through his poker face as, unlike Aizawa, he wasn't too keen on expressing his opinions.

There was still a long way before Mio could fully participate in the managing of the company, however and the burden was taking its toll on the girl. Parties and having to smile all the time she could understand, as well as having to go to university to study management and economy… but high school stuff?

Mio always disliked studying, but now it was even worse. She knew things like math and English were important, but why would she need to learn chemistry, Japanese poems, Japanese history and other crap? And with Nikaidō as her teacher she couldn't exactly complain, fearing the sadist teacher will send her to detention and Mio would be damned before she let something like that reduce the time she could spent with Keima.

And thus Mio was happy when the end of July approached and the summer vacation finally came and Mio was Hell-bent of making a good use of it.

Thus, she woke up past 9 AM on one Tuesday and stretched. Then she realized what particular Tuesday it was and grinned.

(* * *)

"How many times do I have to tell you to choose gaming or eating?" Mari scolded as she saw her son with a toast in his mouth and a PFP in his hands.

"At least he didn't shut himself in his room for 40 days" Eri reasoned while she sipped her tea.

Keiichi didn't really react, continuing to read a newspaper with a gentle smile as if all was well with the world.

"Seriously, I don't even get what Mio sees in you" Mari said and Eri stuffed her mouth with bread, practically choking in the process. She needed 'my mouth is full' excuse in case Mari asked her for opinion.

"My sexy bed hair, obviously" Keima deadpanned.

"Don't get sarcastic with me, young man!" Mari said, her hands threatening to go in the directions of her hair. "Seriously, you should be thankful. If it were me, you wouldn't be able to sway me that easily!"

It was Keiichi's time to choke on his food now.

Fortunately, the sounds of choking were drowned out by the jingle from the PFP. Keima had gotten an email, but he'd clearly been expecting it, given that he just stood up without looking at his device.

"I'm off" he said, heading for the door. "I'll be back for the dinner."

"It'sh shummel facation, nii-shama" Eri swallowed her bread. "Why do you need the backpack for?"

"For various things" Keima replied vaguely and left.

(* * *)

Keima was on his way to the shed when he heard the sound of a small bell and then a voice.

"Do you need a lift?"

Keima had to admit – the sight of Mio Aoyama, wearing casual clothes and shorts, standing next to her brand new and shiny, but common bicycle complete with a basket and with a cocky smile on her lips was something you don't see often.

Especially, since the bike was the one he (and his family) bought her on Christmas.

The thought made him feel something. It was similar to pride or accomplishment, but not quite. And the feeling was kind of warm.

Maybe it was just a hot day?

"You mean I'll sit at the back and you'll pedal?" he joked.

"I'd have preferred it the other way around" Mio responded. "I'm a lady after all."

She would really want to use just one bike and cling to Keima while they were riding it… but she didn't want to put him through having to drive her again… and knowing the roads they'd be using it'd be better to use separate bikes on their trip.

Yes, it was summer now, so Mio came to a conclusion that it was high time to put her new bicycle to the test and what was a better test than a bicycle field trip date with a picnic?

And they couldn't have chosen a better day. It was sunny, warm with a little breeze. It was summer vacation and a Tuesday, meaning the café was closed and Mio had a day off from her part-time job.

In other words, as long as it doesn't rain, Nora doesn't pull a prank and Yui and Satyr don't attack in the middle of it, it should be a pretty good day.

"Shall we get going then?" Keima asked as he retrieved his own bike from the shed.

(* * *)

He had to admit – for a former spoiled ojōsama Mio was surprisingly okay with modes of transportation other than being driven around in a car. Of course, he didn't expect her to not be able to ride a bike, but she fared better than he anticipated. She actually looked rather energetic as she rode her bike. It was clear she had been looking forward to this trip, but Keima wasn't sure about the reason.

Maybe it was her way of getting rid of the stress?

They were traveling slowly and it took them awhile before they left the city and headed west of the Kishō town. They were moving away from the sea, so the terrain was raising a little, but nothing they couldn't handle. And every time they climbed a hill Mio would shot him a smile and then proceed to race him down the hill, laughing as she did it. It was childish of sorts, but Keima guessed that was what Mio needed to rest from her daily duties.

This continued for about an hour during which they didn't speak much

"How about this?" Mio said finally after they crossed another hill.

Keima surveyed the place and was pleasantly surprised. Vast meadows spread to left and right from the small path they were riding along. The grass wasn't mown, but it wasn't overly tall either which was good – games taught Keima that tall grass was a dangerous place. Keima could see a couple of trees next to a nearby grove, so they would have a cover from the strong sunlight.

And there were no other people around. No travelers, no farmers. Nothing.

It was almost looking like a "countryside date" event straight out of a galge.

"Hoo… so the real can pull it off with enough effort, after all?" Keima mused as he looked around. Maybe there was even a stream flowing somewhere nearby?

"You'll have time to admire the view later" Mio said a she grabbed her basket. "Now help me set the place up."

(* * *)

Keima laid out a blanket below one of the trees and soon after started emptying his backpack, bringing out two thermoses, one with tea and one with coffee followed by the actual food. Mio on the other hand opened her basket and retrieved cups, some fruits and... several omelet-soba sandwiches.

A little tired from their trip they started eating. It was quiet but nice and Mio honestly enjoyed Keima's company. However, she wasn't going to rest on her laurels. No, she couldn't let their relationship grow stagnant because of some stupid schoolwork and elite parties. Trying to fight the blush on her face, she reached into her basket and retrieved a small package. Her nervousness made her stutter.

As if offering to share her bentō with Keima wasn't embarrassing enough.

Keima chuckled and agreed, not asking if Mio prepared the lunchbox herself, watching as the girl clumsily unwrapped the furoshiki cloth, before opening the box, grabbing the first piece of food with her chopsticks and stammering out for Keima to say "aah".

Keima complied and Mio proceed to put the food inside his mouth. It was a simple action, yet while doing it she invented quite a few new shades of red. When the box was empty (because "sharing" obviously meant she'd let Keima eat it all) Mio has already decided.

She needed to learn how to make bentōs by herself…

(* * *)

After the (literally) heart-pounding feeding event Mio needed some distraction to, so she opted for a more active… event. At her suggestion Keima reached for his backpack and retrieved two cheap hogoita paddles, a shuttlecock and a washable marker.

Soon they were playing what could only be described as "meadow version of hanetsuki". Every time a player lost 10 points, he or she (but mostly she) would get her face doodled on. Every time Mio made a lunge to hit the offending birdie back at Keima she would end up in wild wheat, rye, barley or whatever grain that was. Moreover, she kept tripping over rocks and roots. And apparently hanetsuki and badminton were common enough game scenarios, 'cause Keima was handling his paddle with skill, despite Mio doing her own training with Urara.

But it still was fun…

...though when she saw her face in a mirror after the game was over she was glad Keima brought some bottled water with him to at least partially wash it off.

(* * *)

High-class parties had nothing on this, Mio concluded as she was lying on the blanket with her head on Keima's lap, his back resting against the trunk of a tree, its leaves protecting both of them from the strong sun.

From time to time Keima would pick a single grape and feed Mio, who would accept the fruit with closed eyes. From the blush and stutter when she suggested the grapes thing and from the content expression on her face right now he surmised she'd fantasized about this particular thing before. He also had to wonder who of them looked weirder right now – her being so unguarded around him or him willingly doing such events with a real girl?

Even the events themselves… they seemed like the ones he had encountered in games, but not quite. True, the picnic was not exactly new scenario to galge world, but this was different. First, he was barely in control. The weather, the flow of time and, most importantly, Mio herself – those were out of his control. Second, this was beyond regular conquest – weeks past what would be a final event in a game.

And third, Mio wasn't like his game heroines. There was no save or load in reality. No backtracking. Explanations through conversations? Yes. But backtracking?

No.

There was no predetermined outcomes... nor a list of clean-cut choices for him to pick... nor any fixed amount of time for him to make that choice. He couldn't just pause when he was stuck or follow another girl at the same time (not that he wanted). Here he was dealing with a real girl with real feelings and emotions.

Emotions…

Something that was hard to get for him outside of logic, but at the same time it was something so easy to trample on and crush.

He had to tread carefully here. He should also avoid doing things against himself just to make Mio happy – she would detect that and even if she didn't he'd still know she disapproved of such self-sacrifice. And it wasn't as if he disliked the current situation. As long as he could game when he got home he didn't really mind.

That thought made him think more about their current situation. In fact, today was pretty peaceful. Normal days were usually much more… hectic. First, Keima had to deal with his other friends. Individually, that was hardly an issue, but with fifteen girls it become truly a scheduling problem. Mio, on the other hand, struggled with her arch-enemy: schoolwork. The midterm tests were less than 3 months away as well. And then there were parties once in a while. While not frequent, they did require a lot of preparing and concentration. Not to mention that the deeper they got into it, the more was expected of them.

Compared to all that today seemed like an idyll – even the weather seemed to cooperate with them (and Keima was sure Diana had nothing to do with that). This laid-back and tranquil atmosphere was what made him think of the last piece of the puzzle that was his current life:

His girlfriend that seemed to doze off on his lap.

Keima was no expert when it came to real-life relationship, but still he made some observations. For once, in the real relationship were much more… physical…

It wasn't that much of a surprise really. In his games he interacted through simple graphics, voice and text. Even if his emotions gushed out, there was no physical contact and he was fine with that.

Real was different though. Keima had always considered real girls imperfect, but he couldn't deny that their range of motion were greater than in a game. There were tens of glances, dozens of gestures, hundreds of facial expressions, thousands of lines and voices, all with different meanings.

Then there was more more direct physical aspects. Like holding hands. Hugging. Or kissing… Maybe it was Mio-specific thing, but the girl in question wanted to do a lot of that physical stuff, even if half the time she wasn't saying it out loud, dropping subtle non-verbal hints instead. Maybe she wasn't even aware of them?

It wasn't as if Keima was complaining – his view on various forms of touching had changed considerably and he couldn't say he wasn't enjoying it. It was just that Mio was a lot more... forward and contact-craved than he had expected. He knew that once her hard exterior was breached, her tender feelings would emerge, but her romantic purity was accompanied by fiery passion he did not anticipate.

Maybe she wanted to make up for the lost time? For the years of her being caught in high-class life with different notions of entertainment and closeness?

That was one side of their relationship – one he could call "active". The other side was something totally opposite.

The entire thing seemed kind of… stagnant – the picnic thing was pretty much the only new event in a while. It wasn't necessarily a bad sign though, especially since Mio seemed as happy as she could be with all the other stuff going on in her life – but was unexpected.

Like what Keima was supposed to do with that? If Mio was comfortable then he was doing a good job, right? But in games inaction was the worst a player could do. No flags, no events and no progress.

And no good ending…

Should he try something new? Should he wait for Mio to do something? Or should he avoid any changes whatsoever?

Even after a while he couldn't come up with any definite answer. All he could do was watch Mio as he removed a stray strand of hair from her sleeping face.

(* * *)

"Next time we go picnic somewhere closer" Mio declared as they were riding through the outskirts of Maijima. It was nice date and all, but the distance was too much and she was certain she was going to have muscle sores tomorrow.

It made her think back to the time when Keima pulled her carriages for her. How did he even do that? Even if Eri made the carriages light with magic it was still obviously difficult for him to pull them. The thought made her cringe.

And it all could've been avoided if she just pulled the stick out of her ass for a moment…

"You're just not used to working you legs like that" Keima told her. "A little practice and you're going to be fine."

Mio nodded her head absentmindedly, not even realizing he was in front of her and couldn't see her. She entered some sorts of daze and Keima was pretty much the only thing she consciously registered, so it was no wonder she reacted to his name being spoken.

"Katsuragi?"

Mio almost fell off her bike, especially since the voice was distinctly female. And familiar. She turned only to notice Ayumi Takahara in her running clothes waving at them.

"Ayumi?" Keima asked as he stopped his bike by sidewalk. "What are you doing here?"

"Running, what else?" the sportsgirl asked back before turning to Mio. "Good day, Mio-san."

"Good day..." Mio returned.

"Fancy seeing you two here" the runner started.

"Likewise" the blonde responded curtly, but blinked when Ayumi looked closer.

"What's that on your face?" she asked.

Mio immediately felt the said face go red.

"That is apparently a token of love from my boyfriend" she gestured to Keima. Damn it, she should've washed the marker more carefully!

"Oh I see…" Ayumi chirped, a teasing glint in her eye. "Going back from a field trip date?"

"As you can see."

It wasn't as if Mio was trying to be rude. She actually wanted to be nice and logically there was no reason to suspect anything, but that earthquake event a while ago and some irrational part inside of her caused her to be wary of any girl talking to Keima.

Especially a pretty kind-hearted girl-next-door ones like Ayumi.

The girl in question wasn't as attractive at the moment as her hair was disheveled and she was all sweaty. However, Mio at the moment was in similar state, so that "advantage" was nullified.

"So that's why you couldn't go to karaoke with us?" Ayumi turned back to Keima.

"Well, yes" the boy replied. "But I wouldn't go to karaoke anyway."

"Who's us?" Mio questioned, before she could bit her tongue.

Ayumi looked at her funny.

"Me, Chihiro, Elsie and Nanaka. Kanon wanted to go as well, but she couldn't make it" the runner replied calmly, before smiling. "What's wrong? Are you jealous?"

"Not at all" Mio replied, feeding Ayumi a lie so big that even she would see it.

"Trouble in paradise? Or is it going too well?" Ayumi joked.

Keima was silent for a moment, scrutinizing her before speaking.

"How about we talk about your love life for a change?" he suggested.

Ayumi was dazed for a second or two.

"What do you mean my love life?" she asked, her voice sounding a little defensive.

"I mean that one basketball club guy who's in love with you."

"What? How? I-I mean what basketball club guy?" Ayumi stuttered out, trying to feed Keima even bigger lie than Mio did before.

His gaze told her that he wasn't fooled.

"Okay, how do you even know about that?" Ayumi asked Keima, trying to ignore the revenge grin Mio was sending her way. "Not even Chihiro knows about this!"

"Because you're careful around her" Keima replied. "But not around Eri. You shouldn't underestimate her like that."

Ayumi groaned, looking more tired than after running several laps.

"I guess that now comes the part when you give me love advice based on whatever game theory you have" the runner spoke.

"Not if you don't want it" Keima spoke calmly. "Except for one thing – whatever you do, don't ignore him anymore."

"Why do you think I'm ignoring him?" Ayumi defended, arms crossed over her chest.

"Because you're keeping to the part of town far away from your favorite hang out locations, school, your house or even his house. Even the karaoke you invited me to was somewhere else" Keima summed up. "Do I need to go on?"

"No" Ayumi said, clearly thinking she had lost enough face in front of the two of them. Mio noticed that the runner furrowed her brow, as if contemplating asking something. "I guess that all this means you checked up on the guy?"

Keima nodded.

"And?" Ayumi urged him on.

"Seems like good guy, at least for a real."

"That's all you have to say here?" Ayumi apparently didn't know whether to be happy or angry about that.

"You don't actually need my help" Keima shrugged. "I know you can handle yourself and kick the guy's ass if he tries anything. Just don't try to hide it from people, like me or Chihiro. And for God's sake, stop ignoring the guy."

Mio watched as Ayumi narrowed her eyes and bit her lip, but said nothing in response, so Keima's words hit the spot.

(* * *)

"Ever thought about working as love counselor?" Mio asked Keima five minutes later as they were walking their bikes.

"Obviously not, real is not a game, especially for most people… why?"

"Do I need a reason to ask that?"

"Yes, you do" he told her.

Mio sighed. "I was actually thinking of having you help Urara."

"Excuse me?" Keima was surprised. "Urara Shiratori of all people needs love counseling?"

"Well, she does. She's pretty much the only one in our little "circle of friends" who haven't had her first kiss" Mio explained. "And the more I think about it the more it seems like she'd want to. I think being friends with girls who had such romances before does that to you."

"You don't want me to kiss her by any chance, do you?" Keima asked, at the same time realizing Urara wasn't the only one. There was Eri as well.

"Of course not!" Mio replied with unusual firmness. "But you could help her. Like find some guy for her."

"I don't want to end up being a love advisor for a dozen of girls" Keima mentioned.

"It's just Urara" Mio clarified. "You don't have to counsel anyone else. Or Ayumi.

"You're not actually jealous of Ayumi, right?" Keima asked carefully.

"Jealous?" Mio huffed. "Why would I be jealous of your totally attractive classmate casually discussing her love life with you?"

"You don't have to worry about Ayumi" Keima replied calmly. "Especially since you're pretty attractive yourself."

"Gotta hand it over to you" Mio muttered. "You really sounded honest there."

"I was honest" Keima glanced at her. "You just don't understand. I don't blame you though. It's hard to understand a god."

"Whatever. I still don't believe you."

"Okay, that's it" Keima said, suddenly changing the direction of where he was heading. "Turn."

"What?" Mio questioned and turned as well to avoid his bike colliding with hers.

"We're going that way" Keima stated.

"My house is in the other direction, stupid!" Mio pointed out.

"We're going to my house" Keima said simply.

"Why?"

"Because no-one is going to disturb us, so I can educate you in terms of cuteness, moe and attractiveness."

(* * *)

Keima stayed true to his word and educated Mio, managing to boost her confidence in her attractiveness and looks and this made her wonder.

First the letting go of her past. Then her height. And now that.

Next time he was probably going to convince her that she'd be a great company manager.

That thought reminded Mio that August was over and the school was back, meaning she needed to put her focus back to studying, while still participating in business parties from time to time.

It was really a shame, cause she'd like for the summer vacation to go on, after all it was the first summer vacation in two years that she could say she had enjoyed to this extent. In a sense those were the best summer vacation of her life.

Even the pool thing turned out fine.

Frankly, Mio wasn't convinced of the idea at first – after all a gamer like Keima wasn't too fond of water and Mio was kinda afraid of parading in front of him in nothing more than a bathing suit even if it was just the two of them.

However, what was originally a simple wish made by that little (age-wise at least) girl Minami was quickly intercepted by other girls and they have ended up booking a pool all for themselves, inviting Keima along. The boy had no choice as Mio didn't forbid him from going. As for her, she had two choices: she could either go as well and try to live through it or stay at home and leave her boyfriend with several teenager girls in bikinis.

So she obviously tagged along.

In hindsight, she was thankful of Keima boosting her confidence in her looks a while ago. She didn't want to imagine how self-conscious she would have felt if it wasn't for that. But who could blame her with all those girls in skimpy outfits?

There was Ayumi, wearing a red bikini with a matching sash. Mio felt really glad that the runner seemed kinda interested in that basketball guy of hers, as she watched the runner swim. Her movements in the water were unskilled and she ended up splashing way more water than necessary, but her speed matched Minami's.

Speaking of the middle schooler – no, she was a high schooler now, Mio remembered, when she watched the young girl – Minami might've been the youngest amongst them and not over-average curvy, but she was surely developing. The girl brought her blue one-piece school swimming uniform with her today and stuck to the water almost all the time – she seemed as if she was born there… then again maybe she was, Mio thought.

Next was Tenri, who wore a simple navy one-piece swimming suit, similar to Minami's. Keima's childhood friend had to take off her ribbons and even let her hair down, looking quite unsure of herself, though Mio didn't know if it was because of the number of people here, the presence of Keima or because she was self-conscious. But it couldn't be the last one, as Tenri had nothing to worry about – Mio would've offered her a place on the board of directors of her company in exchange for her looks.

Sumire didn't seem to have any such issues, as she chose to wear quite old and simple, yet revealing bikini and didn't seem embarrassed about it at all. The bikini also had some strange frills or strips attached to the bra. Was this supposed to imitate rāmen noodles or something? Anyway, Mio was glad the "Sumire incident" was in the long-gone past now or otherwise she'd be nervous to have the girl here.

The next girl was Nanaka, who seemed not really bothered by her body as she was wearing an orange bikini with any patterns. It was a little weird because for some reason Mio kinda expected the shōgi nut to have kanji for "keima" written all over her swimsuit and as innocent as it was it'd make things… problematic. Yet, nothing like that happened – Nanaka was friendly, competitive and boisterous and she seemed to splash even more water than Ayumi and Minami. The only thing that bothered her seemed the fact that her big hair weighted her down once they soaked with water, with several locks sticking to her face in irritating ways.

Tsukiyo was acting kinda weird. She always considered herself beautiful, but that was with her clothes on. The girl disliked most subjects at school with special emphasis on PE – Mio remembered all too well those few times when Tsukiyo attended swimming class just to save her attendance. Right now she was wearing some sophisticated-looking sundress, claiming that, yes, she had a swimming suit underneath and, no, she wasn't going to take the clothes off.

Shiori was wearing a bland-looking one-piece suit, but she kinda preferred to lie on one of the deck chairs and read a book instead of entering the water, probably to hide her red face as well. It took considerable prodding to get her into the pool and after that Tsukiyo had no other choice, but take off the sundress, revealing her school swimming suit, and go into the water, muttering something about 'messing her hair'.

Chihiro wore a strange two piece. The top was more than a bra, reaching as far as her bellybutton, and the bottom were really short swimming shorts. It looked as if the band leader wanted to cover more skin than was necessary and Mio was kinda lost why – Mio wouldn't mind having such an "average" figure.

Then there was Kusunoki who felt out of place or at least looked that way in her swimsuit that Mio was sure Kusunoki didn't buy by herself. She did kept looking at other girls, apparently thinking they were cute and this also included Mio herself.

Urara looked absolutely gorgeous in her yellow bikini as expected.

Mio had been worried about Yui, but for some reason the drummer wasn't here and that seemed even more worrying. Mio made a mental note to investigate that later.

Next girl made exactly the opposite impression compared to Yui – how did Kanon, obviously dressed in a snug pink bikini, manage to be here was beyond Mio. At least at first. It turned out she had told her manager she was going to attend swimming lessons and Okada bought it.

Eri was there too. She was wearing some white childish-looking polka-dotted swimsuit that'd made her look like a kid if it wasn't for her ample figure. At the suit worked well with her happy-go-lucky attitude – her shining eyes made it quite obvious that New Hell didn't have pools with rapid rivers, slides or jacuzzis.

Finally, as for Mio herself, she wore an orange one-piece swimsuit with dark-orange flower patterns as well as frills over her chest and below her bellybutton. It wasn't a new swimsuit, but was mostly unused. She originally bought it, because the frills kinda obfuscated her small chest and she wasn't exactly regretting that particular purchase.

When she stepped out of the female changing room (and she was sure to be the first one to do so) she scanned the pool for Keima, but didn't see him. Wasn't he out yet? How long could it take a guy to change? Ugh… maybe she changed too fast.

"Are you going to swim with your hair like that?" she heard a voice behind her. She turned around, well-aware that it was Keima. She was aware Keima would be in nothing but his trunks… though she expected them to be full of images of PFP or Yokkyun or some other game girls, but they were just forest green. She also was under impression Keima wasn't really that great when it came to his body structure… and he really wasn't. It's just… that she felt... something as she looked him over from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. And swallowed.

What was wrong with her?

"Is something wrong?" Keima seemed to read her mind as he furrowed his brow.

"Nooo, nothing" she replied, wondering why she just couldn't honestly tell him that she thought he was hot. "Where are your glasses?"

"I can't swim with them on, can I?" Keima reasoned, before smiling, his eyes getting that dangerous glint Mio got to know. "But I don't need them to see that this swimsuit looks great on you."

"W-what?" Mio stammered in defense. She needed no glasses to know she was blushing. "T-this swimsuit isn't special or anything!"

"Of course the swimsuit isn't special" Keima agreed. "You are."

Oh... my… god…

Who knows what would happened after that if it wasn't for someone interrupting them.

"Hey, you're in public place, lovebirds" a girl hugged Mio from behind. "Better behave yourself!"

"Sumire!" Mio groaned at the attacker. "Get off me!"

"Hey, do I get to be complimented too?" the rāmen cook asked, letting go on Mio, so Keima could see her better.

"You look nice" Keima told her, but with not nearly as much enthusiasm.

"Whaa?" Sumire's look fell. "How come 'you look nice' is all I get? C'mon you can do better!"

However, the interrupter was now being interrupted as Minami appeared out of nowhere and leaped, however not on Mio, but on Keima.

"Senpai!" she exclaimed in pure joy. "Let's go for the slide!"

"Yeah, me, too!" Eri was right behind. "Let's go, nii-sama!"

Keima had no choice as he was practically lifted and carried to where the slides were.

"Ah, the kids are sure energetic these days" Mio turned to see Kanon standing next to her.

"They're not exactly kids" Mio replied. "Though they sure act like them."

"Says the girl who went sleighing and snowball fighting half a year ago" Sumire chimed in with a smile.

"Okay, how do you know about that?" Mio glared at her.

"Well, you hear a lot of things while listening to customers talk" Sumire explained evasively.

"Are you owning a rāmen shop or a pub where drunk spill their secrets?" Mio jibed, but she stopped when she remembered her delusions about bars, bartenders and lonely girls and decided to stop that particular train of thoughts. She had bartender-themed dreams at least once per month.

The three of them watched as Tenri approached the edge of the pool and tried the water with her foot, totally not seeing Chihiro approaching her from behind with a sly smile on her face. However, she never got to execute her evil plan, because she heard footsteps clearly indicating someone was ignoring "no running in pool area" rule. She managed to turn around just as Ayumi shoved her into the water.

"Got ya!" the runner said, but she underestimated her momentum and the slippery of the floor and ended up falling into the pool as well.

"Yep, a lot of kids" Sumire chuckled. "But it's good to see the entire, well, most of the gang, having fun like that. It seems we've come a long way from the railway station, don't you think?"

"That's true" Kanon said in a soft voice. "But I think Keima-kun is the one who made the most progress and he's the one who keeps us together after all."

Mio couldn't agree more.

"D'anyone say 'keima'?" Nanaka asked, her shōgi senses tingling, before she jumped into the water without further ado, splashing Chihiro, Ayumi and Tenri with water.

(* * *)

"No, no… I don't wanna!" Kanon exclaimed.

Her "swimming lessons" was a nice and valid excuse for Okada, but despite that she seemed to keep to shallow areas of the pool. However, when the girls offered to teach her to swim for real, Kanon started to outright panic, clearly not intending for any actual swimming lessons to occur.

After much persuasion she finally agreed to try, but only if Keima was the one teaching her, as she trusted him the most. Mio had to use all her willpower to stop her her teeth from gritting as she saw Keima hold Kanon's hands. Well, the idol herself looked quite scared, so Mio doubted she wanted to raise any flags.

Ten minutes later Keima left teaching of Kanon to Minami, who accepted the responsibility with stars in her eyes and Keima could go back and divide his attention between two groups: the more active, including Ayumi, Chihiro, Nanaka Sumire and Elsie, where he ended up getting submerged and splashed a lot and the passive group, consisting of Shiori, Tsukiyo, Mio, Tenri and Urara, who just enjoyed the water, mostly the jacuzzi, and made casual conversations with each other. Kusunoki stayed mostly in the second group, but when the first group made too much of a ruckus, the martial arts girl would intervene and bring them back to order.

(* * *)

"That sure was fun" Nanaka announced, using her towel to rub and dry her locks, and then bringing her shock of a hair to "order" with a few strokes of a simple brush.

Mio had to stop herself from snorting at that, but she couldn't help but feel jealous. If there was one downside to having long hair then it was the effort to keep them healthy and in good shape. Tsukiyo apparently had similar thoughts as she still didn't change back and was standing in front of a mirror trying to get her locks under control. Ayumi and Chihiro were pretty much ready to leave already, while Minami was sitting on a bench with a happy look on her face as Kanon was directing a stream of hot air at the younger girl's hair.

(* * *)

"See you next time, everyone!" Kanon bid them goodbye after she donned her disguise coat and hugged Keima.

"We should be going as well!" Nanaka said, as she grabbed Tenri. "Smell ya later, folks!"

Minami had already left, because she was expected at home and Kusunoki offered to escort her. If Minami wanted to oppose, then she didn't find the courage to do so.

"Then we'll take our leave as well" Tsukiyo said and walked away with Shiori after the latter nodded at the group.

"So how about some rāmen?" Sumire suggested. "I can give you a 15% discount!"

"Oh c'mon I'll end up eating at your shop more than I eat at home" Ayumi joked.

"Yeah, rāmen!" Eri exclaimed, pretty much sealing the deal.

"You're not going?" Chihiro asked, seeing that Keima and Mio didn't move.

"No, we have an important mission to carry out" Mio said.

"Whoa! Whoa! Too much information!" Chihiro raised her hands defensively.

"Whatever you are thinking, it's not that" Keima said before grabbing Urara, who was the only one left. "Let's go."

"W-what?" the Shiratori heiress exclaimed, waving her other hand, but Mio grabbed it, after which she and Keima dragged Urara away, the other four girls following them with curious eyes.

(* * *)

"What is the meaning of this!?" Urara asked as she was standing in front of some building that housed a music school. "Is this some scheme of yours!?"

"Precisely" Keima replied calmly, checking something in his notes.

Urara turned to Mio. "Can you explain to me what's going on?"

"We're getting you a date" the blonde responded.

And like that the air seemed to escape from Urara's face, her cheeks inflated from anger going back to normal size, but that couldn't be said about their color which definitely wasn't normal.

"W-wh-what?" she panicked.

"Don't fret, we don't have time for that" Keima told her. "In this building there's a guy who takes violin lessons, we'll try him first."

"Did you make a list of guys to matchmake me with?" Urara asked, apparently appalled.

"Yes. Checked their background and personality. And, of course, they're all well-off enough, so the social status won't be an issue" Keima replied. "We have two targets planned for today, so let's not waste time."

"How could you agree to that!?" Urara accused Mio. "I helped you so much with Keima!"

"Actually, this matchmaking thing was my idea" Mio grinned. "You can thank me later."

Urara didn't say anything. She was just shocked.

"Here he comes" Mio remarked. Indeed, a fairly handsome teen came out of the building.

"All right, you play the wingman" Keima told his girlfriend.

"You don't have to remind me, I know what to do" Mio replied before she headed towards the guy.

"Wait, I didn't agree to any of this!" Urara finally found her words.

"I thought you'd say that, so I didn't tell you about this beforehand" Keima searched for something in his pocket. "Unfortunately, this means you didn't have any opportunity to learn the lines, so I borrowed these from Haqua" he gave her a small earpiece. "Put it in your ear and I'll give you advice from distance."

"B-but…" Urara tried to oppose, but Keima didn't listen, instead he retrieved a hagoromo cloak and put it over himself, disappearing from sight.

"I'm not doing this!" Urara tried one last time, but now invisible Keima only turned her around to face where the boy was already looking in her direction.

"You can say it's revenge from getting me naked twice" Keima said as he started to forcefully push her to where the guy was standing. "Here we go!"

(* * *)

The encounter with the first guy didn't go stellar to say the least with Urara acting all nervous and didn't make the best of impressions. When the entire thing was over, she flipped out, but Keima and Mio ignored that, instead taking her to the next event spot. Here it went a little better, though Mio doubted anything would come out if it.

They did, however, continued this some days later and though Urara tried to find protection in Yanagi and her grandfather, she was in the end dragged to meet more guys. All in all, the "love counsel for Urara" plan wasn't a stunning success, but it was still progress.

Unlike the parties.

Actually, that wasn't exactly the truth. For one, the parties were becoming increasingly more difficult with time. As expected, the more people started to notice them, the more they had to talk and keep up with everyone else...

Furthermore, people at the parties were polite, but those were just appearances. They were all pieces – bishops, knights and rooks who left their pawns (maids, assistants, employees) outside the building which served as a giant chessboard of sorts. Everyone was a cog scheming against other cogs and trying to use them as they made their moves on the chessboard.

Well, there was one thing wrong with the chess analogy there. In chess the situation was always clear – every piece had a visible position for everyone else.

Here it was nothing like that – everyone had their intentions, plans, secrets and agendas. You could never fully believe anyone's words, smiles or gestures. Even the food was uncertain – it always looked good, but the guarantees ended there.

There was also another problem. While Mio and Keima's relationship after the picnic didn't really change much in terms of the events occurring, it did seem to progress in the love points category. In other words, Mio was being increasingly more lovey-dovey. To be honest he wasn't sure how to describe it better – love points in games never reached that level.

However, such situation had one downside in context of the parties – Mio was acting more snuggly with him. So far it wasn't bad and it actually made them look more like an elegant couple, but he was afraid, that in a few weeks, she'd start dragging him to the bathroom to make out…

"Keima" Mio's voice brought him out of his musings. "Are you listening to me?"

They were in the middle of another party. The hosting couple they were talking to was long gone, making the rounds, and Mio just put away her empty plate, which wasn't nowhere near empty the last time Keima had seen it ("hey, it's free! Besides, I'm a big girl, so I have to eat a lot!").

They were currently alone, because Mio was trying to get out of the comfort zone the other board of directors members offered her. However, the way she was looking at him told Keima that Mio wasn't in a business mode at the moment. Moreover, she was wearing a dark red gown this time around and, as Keima noticed it was more revealing and, well, sexy than her previous dresses.

And he was damn certain he was the only reason she wore it in the first place.

"I'm sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment" he admitted, inwardly cursing himself. "Could you repeat what you said?"

"No" Mio replied and he could definitely hear coquetry in her voice and knew what was coming. "What, or rather who were you thinking about?" she asked. It was clear she knew or at least suspected her was thinking about her.

There goes the flirting again.

"I was thinking you were acting too frivolous" he said, feeling he'd rather have Mio offended at him for a day or two than left her behavior unchecked like that. "We are working here."

"So what?" Mio said, looking completely unaffected. "I don't see your mother around here so frivolous is fine."

"My mother had problem with frolicking, not frivolous, remember?" Keima reminded her, being surly on purpose and discreetly looking around to see if someone was listening.

"Po-ta-to po-taa-to" Mio articulated, her eyes never leaving his. "It's the same thing."

"Actually, frivolous is even worse" Keima noticed.

"Spoilsport" Mio accused, but didn't look bothered.

"Let's make a deal. We can get frivolous or frolic all you want once we get home" Keima tried. "But only if you behave yourself here."

"All I want?" Mio echoed, her smile growing bigger, making Keima wonder if she had planned all this. "You promise?"

"I promise" he told her.

"How do I know you're not playing me?" she asked. "You've deceived me before, remember?"

Like you're not the one who's playing me right now, he though, but replied. "How about you try me?"

"Oh, I definitely plan to…" he could swear he could see her lick her lips.

"Aoyama-san" just then Yoshitake appeared out of nowhere, finally taking Mio's attention from Keima. "There are people here whom Okajima-san spoke to before about the company. They want to talk to representative of the company president" he briefly glanced at Keima before looking back at Mio. "Alone."

"All right" Mio replied, in a blink of an eye transforming from frivolous to formal business mood, confirming that she had one-upped him just now. Yoshitake turned back to lead the way. Keima made a motion like he wanted to follow, but Mio stopped him. "I'll be fine" she gave him a honest smile.

"Are you sure?" he asked, uncertain.

"Yeah, I need to be able to do business conversations alone. I'll do then on my own most of the time anyway" she explained, before her smile turned into a smirk. "I'll be back as soon as I can, so we can finish our… conversation" and with this she turned away and left with Yoshitake.

Keima was really hoping the swaying of her hips was unintentional.

Nonetheless, he didn't have time to stay and follow Mio with his eyes. He had been through a bunch of parties already and had learned that staying still and alone like that was dangerous, as he would either look unprofessional (to put it mildly) or someone would walk up to talk to him.

Of course, he couldn't not talk with people – refusing to hold a conversation was considered a faux pas of fairly high caliber. The trick was to talk with people he chose himself and avoid "poison flag characters" as he liked to call them.

Thus, he started to move, scanning the room for someone he could talk with and avoiding making eye contact with the eyesores. It was difficult though, as the room was splendid, but not that big and there were a lot of people here, making him unable to see through the crows and plan his movements. All he could do was politely squeeze through and pray that he wouldn't run into someone troublesome.

And then he heard a familiar voice.

"Aah, Katsuragi-san!"

He turned around and, sure enough, he spotted Aizawa standing there.

"Do you need company perhaps?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"Perhaps" he replied, before looking around her. "Where is Okajima-san?"

The question was justified, as it was rare to see the two board members separated for prolonged amount of time. Yoshitake was more of a freelancer – following and taking part in several business activities at once. On the other hand, Okajima and Aizawa seemed to stick close together.

"Ooh, he is kinda on the run" Aizawa replied quietly as she took two glasses from one of the waiters and offering one to Keima. It was alcoholic of course, so he had to decline, but he noticed it was more and more difficult to do that as time went on.

"You know no-one would judge you or say anything" Aizawa told him. "It is just one glass."

"I know" Keima replied, though he wasn't so sure. "What do you mean, that Okajima-san is on the run?"

"You know that his father is looking for him" Aizawa stated, not asked as she went through the crowd, she seemed to be heading somewhere, but Keima had no idea where. "However, in literal sense it is not him who is doing the looking."

"You mean the people of Okajima-san's father are here looking for him?" Keima asked.

"You understand quickly as usual" Aizawa complimented him as she took a sip from her glass before continuing. "It is not as bad as it sounds though. They are not here to bring him back home by force. Still, Okajima-san does not want to talk with them at all, so he employed drastic measures."

"Meaning what exactly?" Keima asked, thinking that Mio wasn't the only one who was teasing him today. It wasn't anything new when it came to Aizawa though. As he had rightly guessed, she was a lighter and more controllable version of Hinoki and Kaori, so he more or less knew how to handle her. "If you do not mind me asking."

"Of course not… He is talking business with Tanaka household" Aizawa disclosed.

Keima stifled a groan. He had already learned that Tanakas were quite infamous in this environment. Nouveau riche, but with no manners at all. Crude, but shielded by their numbers and wealth. So Okajima went to talk with them and they readily accepted, probably even dragged him out of the room, allowing Okajima to disappear from sight and avoid his father's men. It was a reasonable move, but Keima could now see why Aizawa didn't accompany him.

They have continued to walk around for around ten minutes, once or twice stopping to talk with someone and Aizawa, once again, proved that her inclusion in upper echelons of society was well-earned.

"You are not used to so many stiff people so close to you, are you?" the woman said after a while, noticing his discomfort with the crowd.

And she was right. Mio and his family was one thing. His circle of friends was another. But all this fake reals here? Of course he wanted to avoid getting too close physically. He had tried to hide it, but it seemed Aizawa had figured it out.

"How about some fresh air?" she suggested, gesturing to the balcony with her head.

"I am not sure that is a good idea in September…"

"Of curse it is" Aizawa tugged at his arm to make him follow her into the balcony. "Actually, it is quite enjoyable, especially with a proper company."

"Point taken" Keima admitted, diplomatically avoiding to have to state any opinion or reciprocate the sentiment.

Aizawa only smiled and walked in front. Keima reluctantly followed.

(* * *)

Mio sighed.

The talk went fine, although she was certain that without her father's reputation, shares in the company, her board of directors and Keima's help, those people wouldn't even look at her.

Anyway, she needed to find Keima and tell him the good news.

The board of directors just grew by one person!

"Aoyama-san."

She turned around and spotted Okajima walking towards her. She sighed again. She wanted to tell Keima first, but it was naive thinking – Okajima had the right to know.

"Okajima-san" she replied and waited until he was close to her, raising her nose higher, straightening herself for more effect before speaking. "I have very good news regarding the assets of our company."

"Really?" Okajima looked kinda thrown off balance.

"Yes" Mio replied, closing her eyes loftily. "I am proud to announce that I managed to acquire the help of the Koizumi company. It is a small company, but amongst it are 2 people who hail from my father's company and hold quite high positions on their board of directors. There are some details, but in short, they have agreed to perform a merge of companies. Of course, we will retain the majority and the name and…" she stopped, looking at her interlocutor.

If Okajima had told her what she had told him just now she'd be surprised and ecstatic. But Okajima was not looking all that happy, even considering his usual calmness.

"Okajima-san?"

"That is... good… I am happy to hear that" he said finally. "However" his tone changed like he was back to what he wanted to say in the first place. "I have even better news regarding the company."

"You do?" Mio asked not sure if she should feel happy or bummed. It's like he was stealing her glory, damn it! "What is it?"

Okajima hesitated. "Not here" he said, looking around, although no-one seemed to be eavesdropping. "Let us move to the corridor."

(* * *)

Aizawa was right – the outside was warm enough. The balcony was somehow shielded from wind and from prying eyes, perhaps due to tall trees in the distance, while also providing a good view of the gardens. The balcony was even empty besides the two of them. It was a scenery worthy of an event.

In other words, he should definitely avoid brining Mio here…

"I see you like the place, don't you?" Aizawa said, putting her hands over the stone balustrade and putting her glass on it.

"It is nice" Keima admitted. He noted that her speech pattern changed. "You look like you are pretty used to that place too."

"I am" Aizawa confirmed. "But there's no need for that diplomatic mannerism here."

Keima raised his eyebrow at this. "Are you sure about that, Aizawa-san?"

"Yes. And 'Kazuha' is fine" she said with a smile. "I'll let you keep the '-san', though."

"I'd rather not address you as such" Keima replied, his tone a bit colder and abandoning the formal speech for the most part as well. "We're not close enough for that."

Aizawa's smiled grew wider. "I think you catch on even faster then I anticipated."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Us not being close enough is precisely what is bothering me" Aizawa said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Become my man."

(* * *)

"So what is that good news?" Mio asked once they were in a more secluded part of the mansion, crossing her arms over her chest, letting the impatience get the better of her.

"I have talked with a representative of my father" Okajima said in his monotone voice. "It seems we managed to reach an agreement."

"What does that mean?" Mio asked, her patience dwindling by the second. "And how does that pertain to the company?"

"I have gained control over considerable amount of my father's assets."

"But your father's company deals with a completely different branch" Mio noticed.

"Yes, but I am allowed to do what I please with the assets transferred to me" Okajima explained. "More specific, I can sell those assets and use the money from that to invest in our company."

Mio narrowed her eyes. "I am not giving you more ownership over the company" she told him bluntly.

"I am not asking you to, even though it would help" Okajima said. "I will give you those funds."

"Excuse me?" she asked, certain she had misheard him.

"I will give the money to the company without buying more shares" he repeated. "Consider it a gift."

"As I'd believe you would do something like that for free" Mio said doubtfully. "What is the catch?"

"There is not catch. It is a proof of my good will with regards to the proposal."

"What proposal?" was there something more?

"Marriage proposal" he stepped closer. "Marry me, Aoyama-san."

 **(* * *)**

 **So here it is: the unholy offspring of unexpected plot twist and evil cliffhanger. Yes, I'm evil. :)**

 **This chapter might seem a little chaotic, as I tried to cover several things, but I think it went ok. So we have the picnic date with Mio finally using the bike Keima bought her for Christmas and Keima thinking over the relationship during that date. And the grape feeding scene – it was really a fantasy of Mio's and it was kinda hinted on two chapters back (Flag 58).**

 **Ayumi scene was just supposed to be her noticing the doodling on Mio's face and teasing her, but I ended up writing more details. I also remembered Mio had some issues with Ayumi addressing her, so I had to look back and check on that. xD**

 **Considering the pool scene. It was random and originally just a mention (similar to original version of Urara's "love counseling"), but I decided to expand on them. I hope you enjoyed those two scenes as much as I did writing them. And as for Nanaka's bikini... I totally didn't get the idea from fanarts :P**

 **And then comes the main point of the chapter, something that was more or less planned to happen from December, before Aizawa and Okajima got proper names xD. Now, the two nobles have revealed their cards...**

 **...or did they? What are their intentions? Was it an accident that they made their moves at the same time? did I lie at the reply-to-reviews section, saying that they're dating? xD  
**

 **So what do you think of this development? How do you think it will end? Will Mio reject Okajima's offer... or will we have an unexpected wedding?**

 **Anyway, it took me ages to get here, but I at least managed to come up with a resolution that is better than my original plan. And some other parts of the story are working quite nicely with the new resolution. You'll have to wait to see it though, but it's coming.**

 **As usual, I humbly request for you to support this story: I'd love to hear what you think about this chapter, so please give me a review.**

 **Several minor things I'd like to mention:**

 **First, in Flag 53 ("Strategy and preparation") Mio mentions having... ideas on how she could lose her weight. Now I can reveal that she meant bicycle riding.**

 **Similarly, at the beginning of Flag 58 ("Dirty dancing") she glanced at one object in her room before going to school – yes, she was considering going to school by bike, but decided that it wasn't warm enough yet.**

 **I also made two pokemon references in this chapter.**

 **I think that's it.**

 **See you next time!**


	21. Flag 61: Changing of the guard

**Hello everyone, I'm back with yet another chapter of MioNomi!  
**

 **Before we proceed, I'm not sure I explained the Keiichi-Mari part well enough in the last chapter. Just to iterate: it's not like Keiichi was jealous or like Mari had a crush on her son. Mari was simply telling Keima to be glad Mio was so smitten with him, because other girls wouldn't. She also implies she's one of such girls immune to seducing. This is when Keiichi choked, because... well... let's just say he's Mari's husband and not exactly agrees about her being immune to seducing :).**

 **With that out of the way I want to apologize for the delay. At lest it's another big chapter (if that's good at all).**

 **As usual, I thank you for your reviews for the previous chapter. Thank you very much. Here are the replies:**

 **Normality Is Key:** It seems me and the English articles don't work so well together, huh? :P Anyway, thank you for your help and I'm glad you liked the cameos and references. I hope you'll like this chapter as well. :)

 **Leyknar:** No worries :). So you think they're not going to accept unless something unexpected happens, huh? Then I guess I shall prepare something unexpected then? *evil laugh* :P

 **Dayin:** Concerning review to Flag 59: Yay! My business-like babble actually sounded legit to someone? XD I like the contribute/reasonable part of your review, though I don't consider the parties a filler in general. It was hard to write them though. Concerning review for Flag 60: I don't want to say too much about it here, but Mio is Mio. The simulation just nurtures and then absorbs her love, not her ambitions – Mio in the real world would keep them (that doesn't mean she would choose to do it the same way though). On the other hand, Mio in the orb world isn't like "meh, this is just a dream so I can safely discard the company" – she still acts based on her ambitions, because that who she is. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy what I have prepared in this chapter. :)

 **Sasori69:** Nah, It's ok, I respect and value your opinion. Oh, so you saw Aizawa's confession coming? Well, I don't blame you. It's not the most surprising turn of events. I still tried to hide it, by having Aizawa act as she was protecting Keima when Mio was absent. Well, when talking about Aizawa and Okajima the rejection option is not so easily taken. We shall see. :P

 **ZelgadisGW:** About Aizawa's and Okajima's intentions here… well, you already know, don't you? :P So no pokemon reference can escape you? We shall see about that xD. And I know you enjoyed the pool scene ;).

 **Shawn Raven:** Trust me… you don't want to know how long that review appears when I'm preparing the reply xD. Anyway, I'm glad you consider the chapter eye-popping :). Mari's reaction had nothing to do with Keima's looks though :). And I explained the thing with Keiichi earlier. Yes, fluffy picnic scene is fluffy… and I'm blushing at your praising me =^^=. Glad you like the badminton scene :). Yes, Keima told Ayumi to woman up in a sense :P. And no, Keima didn't really pull any strings here… to my knowledge :P. Moe, cuteness and attractiveness anyone? XD I had to admit – I laughed at the face-clawing part of your review xD. Now that you mention it, Keima being normal in the pool scene is kinda weird. Then again, I'm not sure I straight-out mentioned him being "normal" there so… :P. I'm sure that's not the last we'll see of Urara, so you might yet get to know what become of her dating problem :P. And that cliffhanger was evil :D. No other way of putting it. I'm not sure if your "kids" is referring to Mio/Keima (botg of marriageable age) or Aizawa/Okajima (23 to 26 years of age or so). As for the last question: read and see for yourself ;). Thanks for the review!

 **Sir Sleeps-a-lot:** Osu! :) Yup, that sums up the chapter nicely :). Were those really the creepiest confessions possible? Challenge accepted xD. Yup… time flied ;). Heh, Chihiro dug her own pool-grave back there, didn't she? XD About the legitimacy of the confessions I can quote the TWGOK manga/anime and say: "there's no understanding the thoughts of the rich" xD. I'm not evil enough? I guess I'll need to work on that :). And I'm glad you noticed how much detail I put into this. Appreciated :). About the weight thing. Mio's BMI is low (it's not like I'm surprised), but she started to eat a lot of sandwiches and cakes when working at Café Grandpa, so she considered ways to lose weight (Flag 53). Anyway, thank you for your review. :)

 **Okay, that's all for now. Onto the chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

Keima spend a full three seconds trying to absorb and understand the absurdity of Aizawa's request.

He did not succeed.

"W-what?" he stuttered.

"Become my man" Aizawa repeated calmly. "There's no need to beat around the bush, so I'll be frank. I'm very intrigued by you. You're smart, talented, skilled and good looking. And I know what I'm saying. Most people here are used to parties, meetings and all that. Most of them are even decent actors. But not all of them can understand people and make proper assessments of them. I can. I see the potential in you. Become my man and I'll make sure that you don't regret it."

Keima remained silent for a moment, his logical brain wanting, no, demanding to understand the situation at hand, so he questioned the first thing that came to mind.

"What about Okajima?"

"Okajima?" Aizawa laughed. "Why would I be concerned with him?"

"I thought you were together…" Keima started, but he was interrupted by yet another bout of laughter. It didn't seem like a mocking laugh though. Aizawa was not laughing at him or at Okajima. She just seemed genuinely amused.

"I expected you to figure it out by now" she teased, a smile never leaving her face. "Me and Okajima are officially together, but I'm not interested in him at all."

"So you'd leave him when you take interest in someone else?" Keima asked, not hiding his disdain.

"Your comment hurts me, Keima" Aizawa stopped smiling. "It's not like I deceived Okajima, you know. It was actually him who offered such a business arrangement."

"So it's 'a business arrangement'?" Keima repeated.

"That's right" Aizawa nodded. "Okajima might be a son of a big fish. I know that. But he's boring. A man like that is not interesting at all."

"Neither am I" Keima told her, but was rewarded with a giggle.

"I've told you – I'm good with assessing people. And you" she stepped from the balustrade and walked up to Keima. "You're a _very_ interesting man."

"You say so, but you don't know the first thing about me" Keima remarked.

"Oh... you mean you being… what was it called again? Otamegane" Aizawa said and smirked when Keima's eyes widened a bit. "Fufufu… You've checked the Giichi's background and I'm sure you've done the same with me, Okajima and Yoshitake, yet you're surprised that I've checked you?"

"But I'm not a celebrity" Keima noted.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk" Aizawa wiggled her finger at him. "You shouldn't underestimate the information network of the rich" she told him. "Besides you _are_ kind of famous."

"I'm pretty sure being otamegane makes me _infamous_ , not famous…"

"Oh… I wasn't talking about otamegane. I meant your other title, oh, God of Conquest" she laughed. "Though I surmise you don't have a lot of experience with real-life girls… let alone adult women."

"You would be surprised" Keima replied snidely.

"Fair enough" she agreed. "But that's actually good."

"Like Hell it is" Keima exclaimed, getting closer as well, but Aizawa didn't back up. "Stop with the jokes."

She raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm joking?"

"Of course you are" Keima snorted. "You know me and Mio are a couple..."

"So?" Aizawa shrugged. "You should be adult enough to know things like that don't last forever.

"...and that you're on her board of directors" Keima continued as if he didn't hear her. "Do you seriously think Mio will let you stay in the company if you tried to go ahead with this?"

In response Aizawa laughed again, as if Keima had just made a great joke.

"Of course, she wouldn't" she agreed. "But why would I stay in the company? With my wealth and connections and your skills we could make a company of our own."

"You overestimate me" Keima tried, but he knew it wouldn't work.

"I think you don't give yourself enough credit. I can definitely see what Aoyama sees in you. However, I think you're not giving me enough credit as well" Aizawa pointed to herself. "I'm assure you my potential is greater than hers. She's just a little child lost in the world she no longer knows. Her chances of success are small and she aims too low. Trust me, I know that. In short: I can offer you much more than Aoyama and I'm not talking just about money and connections, but I guess you know that already" she finished as she struck a pose, emphasizing all her womanly assets, a confident smile not the last amongst them.

Now Keima was finally certain the he had misjudged Aizawa. She wasn't a combination of Hinoki and Kaori. She was just Kaori. Only older, not orphaned, with better manners and wealth. And with actual power.

Keima briefly thought of ways to turn the situation around and reset the situation with Aizawa, but all solutions he knew of were actually capture routes and he refused to consider Aizawa a capture target, even if Mio were to give him permission.

Thus, he decided to cut off the dying branch before it could infest the rest of the tree. Or board of directors in this case.

"You're sick" he said in disgust.

If he had expected Aizawa to get angry then he was disappointed, because she leaned closer with a smile.

"There are no healthy people in this world" she told him. "Just undiagnosed."

"I'd rather stay undiagnosed then" Keima decided that he had heard enough. It was time to leave as diplomatically as possible. "Excuse me, but I have to-" he didn't get to finish, because Aizawa grabbed onto his arm and tugged, forcing him to face her. She wasn't smiling anymore, but she didn't look angry either – determined was more like it.

"I've told you already, haven't I?" she said in a dangerously low voice, her eyes focusing on him. "You shouldn't underestimate me.

Keima immediately understood that it wasn't some underhanded plot, related to Mio – Aizawa's intentions were really on him and him alone. He also recognized that she was serious about it.

He tried to jerk his hand back, but she held onto him tightly. It wasn't really surprising – girls being regularly proven stronger was nothing new to him. However, he wasn't expecting Aizawa to employ some judo maneuver, seemingly taken straight out from Kusunoki's repertoire, which somehow ended up with him leaning against the balustrade with Aizawa flush against him, her eyes positively... smoldering.

"Now, now, it's not polite to leave a conversation like that, Keima-kun" she said in a seductive voice.

Keima tried to act, but Aizawa put a hand to his face. He suddenly felt cornered and immediately recognized the feeling – it was like Yui all over again. Shit, he did underestimate her!

"Now" Aizawa whispered as her face grew closer. "Let onee-san take care of you…"

(* * *)

Mio's first instinct was to laugh and ridicule Okajima, but it wouldn't be good to ridicule a fellow member of board of directors. But even then, she would take this entire situation as a joke. A bad, inappropriate joke, but a joke nonetheless.

Except it was Okajima – the ever serious man, which made Mio realize the obvious truth that made her swallow nervously.

This was not a joke…

...and it immediately made red lights go off in her head.

"What did you just say?" she asked, just in case she had heard him wrong. With all her daydreams about Keima she had been having lately, it wouldn't be surprising.

"I asked you to marry me" Okajima repeated slowly. He stayed mostly calm, but a small wrinkle on his forehead let Mio know he wasn't expecting for her to ask that. This realization annoyed her.

"Is it some kind of joke?" she tried, betting on the possibility, because if it wasn't…

"No, it's not. I don't joke about things like that" Okajima said.

"Do you joke at all?" Mio asked rhetorically, trying to think clearly, but it was becoming difficult, her brain trying and failing to get a hang of this.

I mean, if her father was alive, it wouldn't be exactly surprising. She was the only heir to Aoyama Central Industries and she was over sixteen, so of marriageable age (assuming parental approval). Thus, she should expect proposals from some "common elite people".

But her father wasn't alive and Okajima wasn't some common elite guy.

"What's the meaning of this?" she asked again, succeeding in making Okajima actually look surprised. "I mean, didn't it occur to you that I have a boyfriend?"

"Are you referring to that commoner you have been bringing to the parties?" he asked.

He had certainly tried to hide the disdain in his voice, but didn't fully succeed. This helped Mio a little – her conflicting emotions boiled into one: anger.

"How dare you?!" she cried out. "You don't know the first thing about him!"

"Do you really think so?" Okajima asked. "Because I know about him quite a lot."

"Like what?"

"I have never heard about him before and I never heard of you being with any man" Okajima elaborated. "And he was faring well enough, so at first I thought he was a paid actor, judging by his skills. But I still decided to check his background. I thought he was nobody, but what I found was even worse than that."

"What did you just say?" Mio questioned, her fists clenching.

"He is some useless kid who plays video games all his life and no-one associates with him. Complete bottom of the food chain. He will be nothing more than a NEET in a few years. Honestly, even with how he acted, I do not understand why did you bring him here."

"Is that all?" Mio asked. "I mean is that all you've heard of Keima?"

"Was there something else?" Okajima asked.

Mio didn't answer. She was a bit afraid Okajima would find out about the more… paranormal happenings in Keima's life, but apparently he didn't, despite all his money and subordinates. Mio smirked inwardly.

Even a guy like Okajima couldn't find out about New Hell and all that has been happening in Keima's life.

"Anyway, as you can obviously see, Katsuragi a poor commoner, someone who is not fit to be with you."

"And who are you to decide who is fit to be with me?" she all but spat. "And for your information: for more than a year I was a poor commoner as well and it was Keima, not you, who helped me!"

"He cannot help you get your father's company back. I can. So I ask again" Okajima stepped closer. "Marry me."

Mio used all her willpower to not hold her head in her hands and scream.

"Argh!" she cried out, failing to keep her frustration in check. "I don't love you!" she told him, feeling like she was talking to a 5-year-old. "And you don't love me!"

"Love is not a prerequisite of marriage" Okajima said. "And as a matter of fact I am fond of you."

"You don't even know me!" she tried to find some logic here.

"That is not true" Okajima said. "I remember you when I was younger."

"We have barely ever talked to each other!"

"So let us do that now" he suggested. "Let us talk and I assure you that you will find out that you belong with me, not with a commoner like that gaming nerd! He is nobody" he said. "I am different though. I can give you your old life back. Think about it. Big house, not some dirty old apartment. Real cars instead of bikes" he ranted on, not seeing the deadly glare she sent his way when he insulted bikes. "And I can give you your father's company! Together, the two of us, we can bring Aoyama Central Industries to its former glory!"

It was then when Mio realized something.

"Wait. Are you trying to become the company's president by becoming my husband?"

Okajima's eyes widened just a little bit and he opened his mouth to say something, but Mio beat him to it.

"Or maybe that's your strategy to make me hand over the company to you completely? Then it's a brilliant one" she said as she glared at him. "Cause I'd pick Keima over my company any day of the week."

She was prepared to hear him announce his victory or at least laugh at her, but he didn't. Instead she saw genuine hurt in his eyes.

"That was not my intention at all, Aoyama-san. I truly like you" he said.

That was the last straw, making Mio burst out laughing.

"Is that supposed to be a confession?" she asked in a mocking voice. "For your information, Keima did a much better confession and he's way younger than you! Furthermore" she added not letting him speak a word. "You seem to be mistaken about something. You think I'm hesitating about accepting your offer? You think I'm weighting pros and cons, unsure what to do? Well, then you're dead wrong. Let me spell it out for you" she put her hands on her hips and leaned forward. "I'm not going to marry you. Not in a thousand years. You're a boring, stiff person... You can't make me laugh.. you don't know what I went through... You don't know jack shit about me! I got to know the world beyond these stupid parties... The world of common people... And you know what is it like? It's fun! I have a lot of friends there, unlike here! And, yes, that makes me better than you. I detest people like you! I won't marry you in a thousand years! And you know what?" she added when a thought struck her. "If Keima asked me to marry him right now I'd say yes! I'd rather live with him in a dirty old apartment then live in a palace with you! You hear me!?"

She was certain entire mansion heard the last part, but she didn't care. She was proud of herself and felt satisfaction when she saw the angry look on Okajima's face.

"Do you realize you're throwing your father's company away?" he asked.

"Didn't I say that a moment ago?" she rolled her eyes. "Can't you even listen to me properly?"

"But I thought you wanted to get that company back!" he cried out, obviously lost.

"Yes, but I realized my father wouldn't want me to prioritize his legacy over my own happiness. Keima understands that. You don't. Now if you excuse me" she turned around and started to walk away. "I have to go back-"

She didn't manage to finish, because Okajima suddenly caught her arm, making Mio stop.

"Wait" he told her. "You can't reject me like that!"

"I can and I just did" she told him. "Now take your hands off me!"

"I won't accept this!" he said, as if he didn't hear her.

Mio had enough of this, she swung her hand back and threw a punch, but he caught it. He was holding both of her hands now.

"Ugh… let me go!" she jerked back, but he didn't budge. His face was still looking stony, but it was rough now, his features looking as if they were hewed from actual stone, the calm cold exterior hiding what was obviously anger.

"I won't accept this!" he repeated, his hold on her wrists tightening and Mio suddenly realized how much taller and stronger than her he was.

(* * *)

Not only was she acting seductive, but Aizawa seemed also stronger than him, driving Keima into a corner. Thus, he was surprised when she pulled away from him. However, if he thought that she did it willingly then he had to reconsider, as he saw the woman in question being all but tossed aside by Mio.

Only it wasn't Mio. This girl was definitely taller, had a different-colored dress and tea-green hair.

"Why you!" Aizawa looked back at the girl angrily, her face reminding Keima of Kaori or Lentrant, the leader of the remnants of Satyr. "How dare you interfere!?"

"Right back at ya" the other girl said. "How dare you assault Keima-kun like that?"

Keima felt all remaining color leaving his face. He recognized that voice.

"Y-Yui?"

"Good evening, Keima-kun" the girl smiled at him, before she noticed his pale face and winked. "Don't worry, your knight is here to save you!"

Save me? You used to assault me like that before, Keima thought to himself, as he watched Yui. What was she doing here anyway?

"Yui?" Aizawa repeated as if she realized something. "Yui Goidō?"

"Yup, that's me!" the drummer replied happily.

"You know him?"

"Yup."

"What is your relation with him!?" Aizawa asked and Keima noted actual jealousy in her voice. "Answer me!"

"What is my relation with Keima-kun?" Yui said. "Well, you could say we share a history together. He was the man who stole my heart. Actually" she got closer to Aizawa, a playful smirk on her lips. "Keima-kun got to know my body reallyyyy well. That's something you can't say for yourself."

Of course Aizawa couldn't know Yui was referring to the body-swapping, but Keima knew and his face became red.

"T-that's not how it went!" he said.

"Sure it did" Yui smiled back.

"Wait a moment! I don't care about any of that crap!" Aizawa got closer to Yui. "Just get away from here. Now!"

"Ara, ara" Yui smiled with her eyes closed, putting her arm over Aizawa's shoulders in a friendly gesture. "I can totally understand your frustration. After all, Keima-kun had managed to capture the hearts of tens of girls and women alike" she chuckled. "Well, you can count the girls in the thousands, actually… He can conquer them all. So it's not like I don't understand you… but you also have to understand me – both Keima-kun and Mio-chan are my friends, so I'm afraid I can't let you do anything more."

Aizawa laughed, shoving the drummer away. "You think I'll just run away!?"

Yui chuckled again. "Oh, no. Of course not. I fully expect you to fight back. Everyone deserves a chance. It's only fair. However" her voice became more serious and harder, like steel. "I want you to know – if you do choose to bother Keima-kun in any way you'll have to face the consequences and believe me" her hand caught Aizawa's. The woman tried to pull back, but couldn't – Yui had her in an iron grip. "Even if you could deal with me, which you can't, then there are still others. And we're not something you can handle."

Aizawa could've sworn that Yui's eyes turned red at that. Moreover, the air suddenly felt heavier, as if some pressure tried to crush her. Keima felt that too. The world seemingly got darker as well and Keima was certain it had nothing to do with the setting sun.

"So what's it going to be?" Yui asked with a smile.

Aizawa was stunned for a moment and then she jerked her hand back.

"This is not over!" she said as she massaged her arm.

"Sure, sure" Yui said back. " _The Hell ha_ _th_ _no fury like_ _a woman_ _scorned_? Then bring it on, cause I'm not afraid of anything Hell has in store!"

It seemed it was enough for Aizawa. She cast one last glance at Keima, snorted and then left.

"Oh, so she's all talk and no bite? That's disappointing" Yui said as she turned back to Keima, offering him her arm. "Let's go."

Keima didn't take it, quite the opposite – he stepped back.

"Oh, right, it's the guy who's supposed to do that" she said, but Keima didn't offer his arm. "C'mon, it's okay."

"Like Hell it is!" Keima shouted. "What are you doing here!?"

"I just helped you. I think a little 'thank you' is in order" she teased.

"If you think I'm going to fall in love with you just because you helped me…" Keima started.

"Relax, I'm not here for that" she told him.

Keima looked at her, suspicious.

"Oh, c'mon. Can't you believe me for once?" she asked, sounding hurt. "Please?"

Reluctantly, Keima reached out with his arm and Yui took it happily.

"That's better" she smiled and then started walking, heading back inside the mansion. "Let's go find your girlfriend."

(* * *)

Okajima might've caught her, but Mio wasn't defenseless – she could still hurt him in places where he would feel it, no matter how strong he was. Thus, she jerked back. Okajima didn't even flinch, but the motion served its purpose – it masked the swing of her leg and she was all but ready to kick him in the balls when he suddenly moved and his hold on her hands loosened considerably.

She jerked her hands away from him and stepped backwards before looking back at him. He was stiff and unmoving. No, that wasn't exactly right. He was trying to move – Mio saw his muscles tense and the fear in his usually emotionless eyes as he was trying to free himself from whatever was restraining him.

What the Hell is going on, Mio thought, but before she could even hazard a guess, she heard a new voice.

"To try and force a girl weaker than you..." this voice said in clear disdain.

Suddenly ripples in the air appeared and soon they turned into ribbons of some material that came off, revealing a figure standing right behind Okajima. The person was a woman with clothes that definitely didn't belong here, long purple hair and a big-ass three-spiked scythe in her hands.

"...and to think I thought Katsuragi was scum" Haqua du lot Herminium stated.

Mio looked at the scene in front of her in shock, before she realized she got the answer to her question.

So what was going on was Hell itself...

She could now clearly see the pink stripes of hagoromo, binding Okajima in place with one stripe even covering his mouth.

Mio was surprised to say the least. What was the devil girl doing here? She made eye contact with Haqua and was already opening her mouth to speak, but the purple-haired devil shot her a warning look, indicating her to stay quiet.

"Now, you're a smart for a human, right?" Haqua spoke, clearly talking to Okajima, even though he couldn't turn to see her. "Then listen well. You're not going to bother Katsuragi or Aoyama-san in any way ever again. I don't really care what you do as long as you understand that. Just leave them alone and I promise I'll let you go" she removed the part of the magical cloth covering his mouth. "Do you understand?"

"Who are you?!" Okajima said in an angry voice. "How dare you?! My father-" he didn't say anything more, but not because Haqua covered his mouth again. No.

The scythe she was holding away from Okajima was now moved, its business end pressed against his throat.

"You seem to be misunderstanding yet again, human" Haqua spoke, her voice cold. "Your father might be a powerful and influential human, but he's still just a human" her voice grew quieter. "Anyway, you're not going to bother Katsuragi ever again. And make no mistake – this is not a request. I'm not letting you decide it and I'm not asking you. I'm telling you" she leaned forward to let him see her face, her red eyes glaring into his. "Understood?"

Okajima nodded his head weakly and Haqua briefly removed her scythe and the rest of her magical raiment.

"Now, I'd be obliged if you left, preferably back to the part of Japan you came from."

Mio didn't even want to watch Okajima to see if he left calmly or ran away in panic. No, she wanted answers.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned the devil who walked closer to her.

"I believe you're supposed to say 'thank you' now" Haqua replied, ignoring Mio's inquiry.

"I would've been able to handle it, but since you interfered, you're right. So thank you" the blonde said honestly, before crossing her arms over her chest. "Now answer me."

"I guard Katsuragi, you should know that" the devil replied.

"You mean, spying on him in his private time, right?" Mio iterated. "But I'm not Keima. And I kinda don't believe he really needs that kinda protection."

"You're right" Haqua replied. "We're not really guarding him closely anymore. Just routine check-ups and observation from distance. Considerable distance."

Mio furrowed her brows. "Then why are you-wait" she blinked. "Don't tell me Keima told you to watch over me..."

"Asked. Not told" Haqua corrected her. "Now, let's go back to the party."

"Aren't you going to make yourself invisible then?" Mio asked when Haqua started walking.

"No need. I have to talk with Katsuragi anyway."

"Wait, are you going to accompany me back to the party wearing this?" Mio gestured to… whatever clothes the devil had on at the moment.

Haqua put a finger to her mouth. "You're right" she then made a gesture with her hand and her hagoromo sprang to life and enveloped her. When it came off Haqua was wearing a purple gown. "How is it?"

"How much do I have to pay to get a cloth like that?" Mio asked instead of replying.

"Without a magic source, hagoromo would be useless for you" Haqua said. "Moreover, only the elite Hellian members receive it."

"You mean elite like Eri?" Mio quipped, but Haqua ignored her comment as they were going back to the party.

(* * *)

"Is this a part of some scheme of yours?" Keima asked as he and Yui were walking through the crowd again.

"As a matter of fact, it is" Yui replied. "It's not what you think though" she quickly added.

"So you're not here to seduce me?"

"Not really."

"Why?"

"I gave up."

Keima heard it, but didn't believe it.

"Explain" he instructed curtly.

Yui sighed.

"It's not really complicated" she started. "If it's just Mio who likes you then I still can compete with her. But if you truly like her back and now I know you do, then it's two on one and I can't beat that. All I can do now is wish you good luck."

Keima was quiet for a longer moment, watching as Yui smiled to people passing her by. Apparently she wasn't new to this party thing either.

"Are those your true feelings?" he asked finally.

"Yes" Yui confirmed. "You could also say this is 2-B Pencil's newest motto. Sort of."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, that's a bit more complex to explain… I think it started with Ayumi. She said she wanted to cheer you and Mio on. That was some time ago and now the entire band supports you two. Chihiro even wanted to make a song about that. Though Miyako seems to consider it a bit of an overkill."

"I'm more worried about the song containing... things I won't like."

"Oh, the lyrics will have a jab or two directed at you, I can assure you of that" Yui giggled and Keima rolled his eyes. He could totally see Chihiro doing that.

"But the bottom line is that we do support you" Yui's voice become more serious. "So don't waste that. Take good care of Mio. And of yourself."

"I will."

"Good" Yui smiled at him again. Keima realized it was the first time she smiled at him without any romantic undertones for a long time. "Now, let's go" she said. "The party is not over yet. We need to figure out the details."

"Details?" Keima repeated. "Details of what?" He suddenly felt that he was missing something. "What's the thing you're not telling me about?"

"It's a surprise. But I promise it's a good one" Yui winked mysteriously before her eyes widened. "Oh, there she is. And she's not alone."

Keima looked up expecting to see Aizawa back and on the offensive, but instead he saw Mio standing aside from other guests. The blonde's eyes widened in shock when she saw Yui with Keima. That wasn't surprising. What was surprising was that Mio was accompanied by Haqua who was not invisible, the air of confidence around her and unique hair color drew more than one stare.

"Easy now!" Yui put her hands in front of her defensively since Mio was clearly seething with anger. "It's not what you think it is…"

"Oh really?" Mio asked sarcastically, not caring about who could see or hear her. She walked up to Keima, grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to herself and away from Yui.

Sensing what was coming, Haqua sighed before discreetly casting a spell, creating an invisible sphere around the group. It wouldn't mute the voices completely, but now outside this space no-one will be able to hear them scream.

"Calm down" Keima told his girlfriend, smiling to people who were looking at them. "Yui claims she has given up on me" he finished.

"Like Hell she has!" Mio obviously didn't believe it.

"Speaking of Hell…" Keima said as he looked back an forth between the two tsundere girls, his eyes finally resting on the purple-haired devil. "What are you doing here?"

"Watching over Aoyama-san" Haqua replied. "As per your request."

Keima furrowed his brow. That was true, but Haqua was supposed to stay hidden. It was as if...

"Did something happen?" he asked.

"You could say that" Haqua replied. "That guy Okajima just proposed to Aoyama-san…"

"What?!" both Keima and Yui exclaimed in shock.

"...and he didn't take rejection well, so I had to interfere" Haqua finished.

"So I was right after all" Keima said after a moment of silence.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Mio asked, feeling an incoming headache.

"That means Katsuragi was wary of Okajima from quite some time" Haqua explained.

"Is that true?" Mio asked Keima.

"Yes" he confirmed. "Remember when I said it's not Aizawa I'm worried about?" he asked and Mio nodded. "I was referring to Okajima. I had the feeling he was… interested in you" he then turned to Haqua. "Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome" the devil said, the slightest shade of red dusting her cheeks.

"But... how did you know Okajima would do... something?" Mio questioned.

"The eyes of a god are always watching" Keima said, his fingers trying to push up glasses he wasn't wearing at the moment.

"Bullshit!" both Haqua and Mio exclaimed in hushed voices and Yui only laughed.

"That is a really funny coincidence though" she said. "Especially, the 'I'm not worried about Aizawa' bit."

"What do you mean?" Mio asked.

"Aah… it's just that Aizawa tried to seduce Keima-kun just now…"

"SHE DID WHAT?!" Mio cried out loudly this time.

"...and of course I had to rescue the damsel in distress."

"I'm not a damsel!" Keima protested. "And I wasn't in distress! I would've been fine!"

"Sure, sure" Yui patted his shoulder, as if to appease him.

"How dare she!?" Mio all but screamed before she realized something. "Wait… that means my board of directors is completely messed up!"

"Well, I believe Yoshitake is okay" Keima said. "All he cares about is business."

"But how we are supposed to do business with Okajima and Aizawa now?" Mio asked, head in her hands. Haqua sighed again. It was good she had cast an optical illusion spell as well, otherwise Mio's behavior would become really suspicious. "They can't be trusted!"

"That won't be an issue" Haqua added, making Keima, Mio and Yui look at her. "I don't know much about this party and business stuff, but I've told Okajima to back off. Literally. That means he will most probably leave the board and he'll do it soon.

"I'd worry more about Aizawa now" Keima said. "At least with Okajima you can reason… Aizawa on the other hand..." he shivered.

"I don't think it will be this bad. She might want to leave already" Haqua said in her I-am-smarter-than-all-of-you voice. "And if she doesn't, then I can tell Nora to persuade her. Those two are quite similar to each other. I'm sure they'll find common ground."

"Not so fast" Mio said. "I know Okajima and Aizawa are… problematic and less people in the board is kinda nice… but less people also means less capital. The board only has three members now, you know?"

"Three?" Keima repeated. "Isn't it just you and Yoshitake now?"

"Aaah…" Mio exclaimed before turning to Keima. "Erm… I didn't get to tell you yet… but I managed to convince another company to merge with ours" she explained. "Their representative will be on our board."

"Well, that's one Hell of a plot twist" Keima nodded to himself. "At least it's all over now."

Him, Mio and Haqua then heard a meaningful cough and turned to Yui.

"About that…" the drummer started. "I think your count of board of directors members is off by two."

"What do you mean?" Mio asked, voice full of anxiety.

"She means me" a new voice said from behind them. Mio and Keima turned around only to see…

"Urara?"

"That's me!" the girl in question, wearing a fancy dress, walked up to them, a multitude of gazes from males and females alike watching her every move as she walked closer.

"What are you doing here?" Mio felt this question was asked for the umpteenth time today.

"Business" Urara said with a smile. "The truth is, I was thinking about my future and I decided to continue my adventure with astronomy."

"Okay, that explains completely nothing" Mio noticed and Keima nodded his head.

"Oh, you know that space research requires considerable amount of heavy equipment. Telescopes, rockets and such… Grandpa didn't want me to re-brand his company…"

"I wonder why" Mio mouthed.

"...but I have some money I can do what I please with… so I decided to invest it into a certain company" Urara finished with a smile.

"Wait…" Mio had to iterate before her head exploded. "You mean you want my company to help you manufacture the hardware you need in exchange for your investment?"

"Well, that's it" Urara admitted. "But I don't like how it sounds. It's too clinical. I'd rather call it… an agreement between childhood friends… for the old time's sake. After all, it's good to have a business partner you can trust" she winked at them. "Of course, it's only a temporary measure, just so I can make sure that you can deliver. Once your company is good to go, I'll withdraw and remain a mere customer."

"Agreement between childhood friends?" Mio repeated and looked at Keima before they both turned to Yui, aware of her previous comment.

"That's right" the drummer scratched the back of her head. "I'm trying to make amends with my mother and my family kinda wanted me to prove myself, so this arrangement kinds works for me too… if you'll have me of course… Miss President" she winked at Mio.

The blonde girl didn't say anything, shock taking a hold of her. If she understood this right, then in a span of half an hour two potentially dangerous people left her board of directors (or were about to do so), replaced by three new ones, two of which were her best friends.

As if mirroring her train of thought, Keima shook his head in frustration. "Such a random sequence of events. If some company made a game with such complex and long 'high-class people' subplot, that company would burn."

"This is not a game you know" Urara whined, eyeing Keima. Mio internally face-palmed when she realized it kinda was a game.

"Anyway, does that mean you two will be attending parties as well?" she asked, a plan slowly forming in her head.

"Yup!" Yui smiled brightly. "If you agree to this arrangement."

"Of course, I do" Mio smirked, putting her arms over her chest. "I'm already looking forward to the party next Saturday."

"Aah… about that" Urara started, her voice sounding rather nervous as she looked away. "I'm afraid I won't be able to attend next Saturday."

"And why is that?" Mio asked.

"I'm kinda… umm... I-I mean I have a date on that day" Urara replied, her face growing red as she finally looked at Keima and Mio. "And it seems I owe you an apology… And a thank you."

"Oh, so who is the lucky guy?" Mio asked. "Is it the violin guy?"

"No!" Urara said, ignoring the curious look Haqua and Yui were giving her.

"The one who's in a medical university?" Mio shot again.

"Are you an idiot?" Urara said back in anger. "That guy was 4 years older than me!"

"So it's the scientist guy then?" Mio asked and Urara's eyes widened. "I knew you had a thing for researchers!"

"I'm not telling you anything else!" Urara looked away.

Haqua observed their antics, when suddenly she spotted something behind the group, quickly turned around and walked away, canceling the spells she had cast with a simple gesture.

"Aoyama-san" Mio turned to see Yoshitake followed by the person from the Koizumi company Mio had talked with earlier today…

Gosh… it was less than an hour ago, but it felt like it had been ages. Like something in a book chapter you read three weeks ago.

"Yes?" Mio said, when the two men tossed wary glances at Yui and Urara.

"I have just seen Okajima-san" Yoshitake said, looking troubled as he addressed Mio. "I am not sure I have understood him correctly, but he made an impression that he was retiring from being the member of the direction board" he looked at the man behind him briefly. "Me and Gendo-san were wondering if you knew anything about it."

"As a matter of fact I do. I am afraid there are going to be some… rearrangements in the board" Mio said as she grabbed Urara and Yui and brought them closer. "Those two ladies are Urara Shiratori, the granddaughter of Shōtarō Shiratori..." she indicated to Urara who smiled nervously. "...and Yui Goidō, the daughter of Katsuhiro Goidō" Yui bowed politely. "They are going to become the new members of the board of directors."

The two men widened their eyes, recognizing the names of the two prestigious Maijima families.

"Actually" Mio pushed Urara to the front. "Shiratori-san here is interested in the products our company could manufacture. She is willing to invest a large sum of money for this cause. Am I right?" she directed the last part at Urara.

"Um… yes" the girl said in an unsure voice.

"Excellent" Mio said. "Now, I know this is a big and unexpected change and I know it will cause some unrest… Thus, I suggest you all use the remainder of this party to get to know each other. I am sure our company will benefit from that."

The rest of the board looked at her with varying degrees of surprise.

"Now, if you excuse us" she said as she grabbed Keima's hand. "We shall take an early leave. You know, my mother is still the acting president of the company – I am certain she would want to be informed of tonight's events as soon as possible."

Before anyone could protest, Mio started to drag Keima in the direction of the exit.

"Mio!" Keima hissed. "What about 'never leave the party earlier' rule?"

"With Yui and Urara staying behind it's alright. They're not our enemies, so we don't have to worry about it" Mio said. "Besides, with those two on the board, I can focus more on the other aspects of my life… Now" she brought Keima closer. "How about you explain to me what was all this thing with Haqua watching over me and you being a damsel in distress while we wait for Morita to pick us up?"

"Can we talk about it when we get home?" Keima said back as they left the building. It was better to put more distance between Mio and Aizawa before he explained what had happened.

"Oh no..." Mio said as she retrieved her phone. "You have promised me you'll be there for me if I ever get tired or stressed after a party" she reminded him. "So we talk now, because once we get home we're going to do anything but talking."

"Just don't say that to my mother" Keima said. "She's going to assume god knows what."

This was just to avoid his mother embarrassing remarks, but, in all honesty, he had expected Mio to nod, remain silent or scold him. He certainly didn't expect her to giggle and give him a playful smile before she put her phone to her ear and turned away from him, her ears going a little red.

(* * *)

Unfortunately, the later events had proved that Okajima and Aizawa hadn't just magically disappeared overnight. The former apparently had thought that enough number of gifts would convince Mio to accept his offer and the girl had had a tough time deciding whether she was pissed at Okajima or felt bad for him. When that strategy hadn't worked, Okajima had given up, leaving Maijima for good. However, some time after that Mio had learned that he had tried to make Yoshitake leave Mio's company and join him.

Frankly, Mio couldn't care less about that. When Okajima had proposed she had decided to chose Keima over her company and had been prepared to face the consequences. In fact, when she had rejected Okajima she had been certain her company had been a goner. So if Okajima were to take Yoshitake away now it wouldn't change things drastically and even if it would result in the downfall of the company, Mio wouldn't regret her decision.

Yoshitake had stayed however, probably after weighting pros and cons according to whatever calculations his profit-oriented brain had come up with. Thus, the remnants of Okajima's presence had required some cleaning, but if it were to become too much of a bother and in a way of her life, Mio would be able to just leave it behind her.

Aizawa, however, had been a little bit different. She hadn't been aiming for Mio's company – something important to Mio, but discardable if push came to shove. No, she had aimed to stand between Mio and Keima. And that had been something the young Aoyama couldn't let her do.

However, if Mio had thought Aizawa would try to act nice and play by the rules then she had been wrong. The older girl had wanted to exact revenge after the humiliation she had gone through and had tried to use whatever weapon she could, be it money, lies, threats or physical confrontation (through her lackeys of course).

It had been a dangerous predicament, but it had ended quickly. Keima hadn't taken too well to Aizawa targeting his girlfriend and he had acted quickly, once again calling in favors from his devil friends. Mio had never learned any particular details about what Keima had done, except for two things – that it had included memory modification and that it worked.

What had come after that had been a transitory period during which Mio had been anxious, expecting for shrapnels of the entire situation to strike her from the shadows again. This had affected her performance during her mid-term exams, which had turned out to be less than stellar.

Furthermore, the third years couldn't fully enjoy themselves in the week following the sports festival (it had been a shame, but Mio and Keima had been in different classes, so they couldn't participate together), but they still could take part in the dance festival and Mio had flatly refused to let her anxiety get in the way of her making precious memories.

It had turned out the dancing part of the dance festival was kinda weird. It hadn't been the type of "dancing" teens did at the discos, but it had been miles away from the formal dancing at the parties as well. It had been a bit awkward and more than a bit embarrassing, but Mio had found out that she had enjoyed the experience.

It had been surprising though. There had been anxiety and embarrassment, as well as teasing from both their friends and strangers alike, yet somehow it hadn't felt bad at all. It had been as if somehow Keima's presence had made everything better – bad things had become neutral when he accompanied her, annoying had became pleasant and good – breathtaking.

This had been different than the pounding of her chest whenever Keima gave her a smile, however smile. It had been different than the pleasurable feeling when they had been kissing. It hadn't really felt like a physical sensation at all.

It did feel similar to what she had been feeling when Keima had been helping her relieve stress after parties. It was similar to the feeling of security she felt with Keima – like she could show him her soft side and be herself around him. But it was still different. It was something more. Something she couldn't understand.

Was that love? No. Not exactly, as she was certain she had loved him before.

Whatever it was it had helped her in certain ways, somehow making things easier, so that even when 2-B pencils had played their new song, Mio smiled as she had listened to it, which had clearly surprised Chihiro who, judging by her face and the lyrics, had expected a different reaction.

Still, as helpful as it had been, the feeling was a mystery. On some level Mio had been certain it had been connected to the "changing of the guard" as she had taken to call the memorable party during which half of her board of directors changed in a blink of an eye.

At first it had been hard to make that particular connection – the weeks following the party had been uneasy and it had taken some time for Mio to calm down. It had been during the Mai High festival when Mio had for the first time actually noticed that particular feeling.

Then, when the festival had ended, the pressure associated with the exams and the anxiety over Okajima and Aizawa had disappeared. It was then when that other mysterious feeling had come to the surface, becoming stronger, so Mio had taken a not of it. The weird thing had been that the feeling was certainly helpful and positive, but it had also felt… wrong. No, incomplete was more like it. Like there was some empty part inside of her. It couldn't be a loose soul though – Mio knew that particular feeling and it was different this time. But what it was and why it had felt like that – Mio had not known.

However, soon she had decided that she didn't give a damn about what that particular feeling was and she had focused on her daily activities. She had continued her part-time job, although Mari had been becoming more and more surprised, as if she had been expecting Mio to quit by now for some reason. The parties themselves had continued as well, but Mio had decided that she wasn't going to sacrifice her time like that and ended up participating in only every other party or so. Keima had asked if she was sure about that and after her confirmation he hadn't brought it up again.

That had been it for the business parties, but there had been also different type of parties. Like Christmas parties. This time around it had been Mio and her mother who had invited the Katsuragis and Mio had spend a lot of time decorating every possible place in her small apartment with mistletoes. The gifts had been pretty small this time, as Mio had been trying to save as much money as possible. Then there had been the party celebrating Mio's eighteenth birthday at Urara's place. There had been Keima, Eri, Urara, Yui, Tsukiyo and, surprisingly, Tenri, Ayumi, Chihiro, Sumire and Nanaka. At first Mio had thought they had come mostly because of Keima, but she had been proved wrong and, aside from plenty of teasing, it had turned to be one of the best day in the past several weeks.

Alas, the Christmas break and the party time had ended all too quickly and soon they all had been back in the study mode, made even worse by the ever nagging teachers. At least Nikaidō had softened considerably as she had seemed to accept the situation between Mio and Keima. Still, even with all her dislike of studying Mio had had to stop going to parties, put her part-time job on hold, grit her teeth, and bury herself in a stack of books Shiori would be proud of.

It had been in times like that where Mio had envied Keima's academic skills. Then again, it hadn't been as if he'd been lazing around the whole time. No. Whenever he hadn't been helping Mio, spending time with her, teaching Eri to brew coffee (which was always entertaining to watch) or playing games then he had been helping other girls with their studies.

The ones who just had just wanted to be done with school had been less of an issue – Keima still could predict some of the questions and could give them tips. The ones that had been aiming for the best results had been more problematic as Keima wasn't a miracle worker and the girls had had trouble accepting the fact that there wasn't much he could do ("what do you mean? You're supposed to be a god!").

The fact that the exams had been really close hadn't been helping the situation any. Everyone had been nervous, starting with Ayumi and Chihiro (who had both been expressing their dislike of exams at every opportunity) and ending with Urara (who had been pestering everyone about every little detail). Even Kanon had had to take a break from her daily idol activities to study, worrying about whether she'll be able to graduate from high school. Keima had once showed Mio an e-mail from Kanon which had been one big wall of "Help me!"

Not that Mio had been faring much better than the idol. Her small desk at home had practically disappeared, buried beneath stacks of paper, cups of coffee and omelet-soba sandwiches – Mio had tried not to think what she would do without those.

Keima herself had remained mostly calm, glaring every time Eri had been panicking or Mari had been nagging him about his studies. If he had been worried, the he hadn't been showing it.

This had been a tough several weeks, but it was nothing compared to the heavy feeling Mio had been feeling when waiting with all her teammates for her first exam. Tsukiyo had been fumbling with her clothes, as if making herself more presentable were to help her get more points. And Urara had been pale as a ghost.

But as soon as Mio had seen the first question, she had relaxed. When she had left the room an hour later, she had felt much lighter and had smiled cheekily when she had seen Keima waiting outside. Only then he had dropped his poker face, proving he had been worried about her.

After that it had all went surprisingly easy and a few days later the third-years had made a collective sigh of relief as the exams had ended.

And this had been how Mio had ended up where she was now – sitting on one of the chairs in the Mai High auditorium and wondering what all two hundred other students sitting there with her were wondering. Namely, how much longer was the student council's president planning to continue speaking.

Yes, it was a very important day and the final step of their adventure in high school – the graduation ceremony.

The lengthy speech finally ended and – despite the fact that the spring was just beginning and it wasn't all that warm outside – all the students left the auditorium immediately and headed for the main gate where their parents were waiting.

(* * *)

"Congratulations, Mio!"

"Thank you for your hard work, ojōsama!"

Mikoto was hugging her daughter tightly with Morita standing next to them.

"Congratulations, Eri, Keima!" Mari was doing the same while holding her children. She was shedding actual tears and Eri seemed to be close to that as well, while Keima looked a bit uncomfortable.

"I'm proud of you" Keiichi said as soon as it was his turn.

"Thanks, dad" Keima said.

All around them there was a happy clatter and many people had their phones and cameras in their hands, including Mari.

"Pictures time!" she announced happily as she dragged them to the gate so she could take pictures with them next to the Mai High signboard.

"Smile, Keima!" Mari said, an undertone of threat behind her smile, as her children were posing with Eri showing a victory sign. "Now, Mio join them, please" Mio walked to stand next to Keima and put her hand in his as Mari and Mikoto continued to take photos. "Okay, now how about just the two of you?"

Eri moved aside, while Mio waited and right before Mari took the photo she turned to Keima, climbed on her toes and kissed him on the cheek, just as the camera clicked.

Keima turned red, Mio looked away as if she had nothing to do with it and Eri giggled. Mio never learned what Keima wanted to do in return because suddenly something all but jumped on him from the back.

"Congratulations, senpai!" a girl with a shock of brown hair told him happily.

"Aah… thank you, Minami" Keima said to the beaming girl, avoiding looking at his mother, who was watching Minami curiously, probably recognizing her from that day in the café long ago.

Mio crossed her hands over her chest and narrowed her eyes a bit. It wasn't as if she was jealous or anything, but she couldn't help but feel a little anxious when she saw Keima interact with the younger girl. He had always had some sort of a soft spot for her and Minami wasn't a small scrawny girl anymore either. In fact, she had been always taller and, well… bigger than Mio was. Furthermore, Mio didn't know the reason, but there was definitely a hint of red on Minami's cheeks...

Just as when Mio was thinking of grabbing Keima's arm to mark her territory, she herself was assaulted by Yui.

"Congratulations, you two" she said as put her arm around Mio's shoulder and patted Keima on his back.

What followed was Mari, Keiichi, Mikoto and Morita watching as more and more students, or more precisely girls, were gathering, congratulating each other and, in the case of Ayumi and Chihiro, giving Keima a playful nudge.

The biggest surprise was when Kanon arrived, hugging Keima, shocking all students around (Mio looked at the sky meaningfully) and asking for a photo with Keima.

Of course, Keima had to pose for many more pictures, including one big group picture, but this time he was smiling, but Mio felt it was more because he was enjoying the look of utter shock on his parents' faces.

"Hey, we're throwing a party later to celebrate!" Chihiro told them a few minutes after the last photo, giving off the happy and energetic aura that was usually reserved for Ayumi and Eri. She was certainly glad the exams were over. "Be sure to come!" she added before heading to where her own family was.

"Mio" Keima suddenly said in a serious tone, making her face him. Mari and Keiichi were now chatting happily with Mikoto, so the two of them could have a moment just for the two of them.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Congratulations" Keima said, with a soft smile.

"Aah… thank you. And congratulations!" she replied, but it felt weak. It's not like the exams were difficult for him or that he cared about them much in the first place.

If she thought that he was done speaking then she was wrong.

"It has been a long year" he continued. "You had to deal with a lot of things both in school and outside of it. Many people would have neglected some of those things or would have been crushed by them. But you didn't. You have dealt with everything and you did great" his eyes were warm and made Mio realize what he was about to say before he did. "I'm proud of you."

She stared at him for a moment and then tried to fight the tears coming to hear eyes for another, before she failed, the tears of emotion traveling down her cheeks.

Keima was her boyfriend. Her lover. And friend. She had never intended for him to become a substitute for her Papa. Morita was the closest she had to a father now, but she didn't see Keima like that. However, Keima was the most important man in her life now, just as her father once had ben. He was taking care of her, listening to her, keeping her safe and praising her when she's done good.

He was standing where her father would have stood if he was alive.

Without wasting another second she lunged at him and flung her arms around his neck. Keima smiled, embracing her in a warm hug.

"I-idiot!" she said through her tears. "It's not like I wanted you to say that!"

He chuckled. "It seems you're more of a tsundere than I thought" he joked.

"I'm not" she attempted to give him a light punch, but he held her tightly, so she settled on stepping on his foot to hide her embarrassment.

"Riiight… anyway" he said, obviously not believing her, before he moved one hand to pat her on the head. "Good job."

"I'm not a small child!" she protested, her blush growing. Why did it feel so good to be praised by him like that, dammit!

"Too bad" Keima replied, smiling mischievously. "If you were I could give you a piggyback ride."

Mio decided that one last time of being childish wouldn't hurt as she climbed on Keima's back, obviously enjoying being able to see the world from this height.

"You know, I could get used to that" she said.

"I can tell" Keima said, trying to ignore the amused look Chihiro was sending his way. "I guess you can use some break before the next thing."

"What next thing?" Mio asked.

Keima looked up at her and she thought that it felt really weird to look down on him like that.

"I'm talking about the university entrance exams. Those will take place in a month and will be on a whole another level" he reminded her.

"I will worry about that in a week" she ruffled his hair, before pointing to where Morita and Mari have parked their cars. "Now, let's go, my chauffeur!" she spoke in obvious glee.

"Roger, ojōsama" Keima chuckled as he started to walk.

Him and Mio moved away from the school grounds – the place where they had met for the first time and which was a part of their lives for several years, marching towards the next step of their lives with a smile on their faces.

That was how they have left their high school days behind.

 **(* * *)**

 **So here it is. While Mio's and Keima's answers to Okajima's and Aizawa's "reqeusts" were pretty obvious, the final outcome wasn't (or at least I hope so).**

 **And to make things clear: everything of it was planned beforehand. It's not like I originally planned to have Okajima and Aizawa remain on the board without including Urara and Yui (at least anymore than Yui simply rescuing Keima)... So it's not like the idea for most of things here (Mio clearly telling Okajime she'd rather live in dirty hut with Keima rather than with Okajima in a palace in particular) came to me completely at random a few days ago... xD.**

 **By the way, the signs of Okajima being interested in Mio can be traced way back when he was cold/hostile towards Giichi, because he didn't like that Giichi was "advertising" himself in front of Mio. :P**

 **Anyway... while doing business with your friends might not be the healthiest of solution, I'm still quite happy with what I got here. I managed to clear the situation with the board, let Mio keep her company (thought I very much considered her simply discarding it), wrapped up "Yui in love with Keima" and "Urara can't find a boyfriend" plot threads (although yui was kinda supposed to work differently in the beginning, but I'll save that for a different Nomi :P). I also had Haqua stop guarding Keima so closely.  
**

 **And then there goes the high school graduation ceremony. This was planned long ago, but not with such details and I'm glad things worked that way, especially including Keima and Mio's "proud of you/pat on the head/piggyback ride" scene.**

 **And then there's this kinda new love-but-not-love feeling that Mio have noticed. I wonder what is that feeling? :)**

 **As for the title, it refers both to the changes on the board of directors and to Haqua/Yui guarding/rescuing events. I have also considered "schism" as the chapter title, but it's a pretty rare word, so I decided against it in the end.  
**

 **I have to apologize for a lot of time skips, but this story is long enough, so I decided to do it that way.  
**

 **As a side note, this chapter contains 2 (maybe 3) attempts at breaking the fourth wall. First is when Keima says that the comapny that were to mage a game with such party subplot would burn (I'm glad he didn't say "writer who wrote such a fic" or I'd have been in trouble xD). The second is when Mio says "like something in a book chapter you read three weeks ago" xD.**

 **Also there's a couple of references here, including Alien franchise, Haruhi Suzumiya series and even one from an "Is it wrong to pick up a girl in a dungeon" parody (I wonder if you can spot it, Zelgadis? xD).**

 **Of course, there also some reference to Keima cheering of Ayumi, with Ayumi the one cheering on Keima now. It's may be a little unnecessary, but I liked it, so I added it. :)**

 **And now comes an important announcement. The story is nearing it's end. If everything goes well there's either one chapter left or one chapter and a separate epilogue. At least that's the plan. We will see.**

 **As usual, I kindly ask for you to review the story. Follows and favorites are always appreciated as well.**

 **See you next time!**


	22. Flag 62: First dance

**Hello everyone! I'm back!**

 **And I bring you the promised (long) chapter. Sorry for the delay, but I had shortage of time and I stubbornly wanted to stuff as many references here as possible, especially as we are in the process of wrapping things up. But in my humble opinion the final result is not bad. Not bad at all.**

 **There are some things to discuss here, but let's save those for after you've read the chapter... except one. As per my latest tradition, I created yet another poll. This time I chose the girls that appear in the anime, have considerable focus and haven't appeared in the other polls. If you're wondering why I didn't just make one big poll... well, one reason is that small polls mean less choices and less choices allows some of the girls more focus...  
**

 **...also I have re-checked the previous polls. Some of them are not very popular (especially the one about the light novels, not that I'm surprised by this), however the one about the goddess hosts reached 17 separate votes which is a considerable number. Thus, I'd like to thank all people who voted on the polls. If you are not one of them then please visit the forum (the link is on my profile) and vote in as many polls as you can. Let's give those girls some love!**

 **Going back to yet another tradition, I want to thank you for all your support. You guys are wonderful! Here are the replies to the latest batch of reviews:**

 **Laialot Siedenumi:** Yeah, time flies… which isn't always a good thing. And how much of the next Nomi I have set in stone? Umm… *glances nervously around* a nice weather we have today, ne? XD

 **Sir Sleeps-a-lot:** Ossu! Well, it was a ruse of some kind… just not the kind you expected :). Glad to hear that you like the pat on the head and the graduation scene in general. As for agape love… there are of course shades of that at this point, but I honestly can't be certain how much. I'm not sure the general references make it that much meta, but you have some point there :). Well, I guess each Nomi is different, but also in the sense that I learn. I change between (and throughout) those stories as well… anyway, thanks for the compliment *closes eyes while being patted*

 **ZelgadisGW:** Yay! Good for you, bro :P. You predicted it?! How!? Yeah, I figured you wouldn't mind Haqua appearing :P. And scary Haqua is scary. I didn't read the end of the review all that carefully, but I bet there was nothing important in there.

 **Normality Is Key:** You jinx yourself a lot with my stories? xD Well, I thought about writing Aizawa the way you described, but… naaah. And wrong – it's KanonNomi. There! I corrected your mistake for once! XD Anyway... I'm not sure if understood it correctly and I don't want to burst your bubble… but you do know that ShioriNomi comes before KusunokiNomi, right?

 **Sasori69:** Just one complaint? I can live with that xD. Well, I guess I could include (possible faked) sprained ankle as an excuse. But what can I say? Mio is kinda prideful, lazy and comfort-loving… but at the same time she kinda wants to catch up to all the fun she hadn't been having before, so the piggyback ride kinda works in my opinion. And she can be taller than anyone that way xD.

 **Leyknar:** You're right – it does sounds like something Keima could've thought. So you like Yui, huh? Gotta jot that down… but thinking about people's preferences also reminds me that I should prepare another poll…

 **Shawn Raven:** Heh, I'm not exactly sure what you mean with the onee-san and blood pressure, but okay :P. Surprising Haqua and Yui are surprising :). Naah… the world is all right…. Yup, I'm never going to get tired of writing characters like Mari or Miyako learning interesting things about Keima xD. And I feel you, bruh… You're a fan of piggyback rides, huh? Well, about the crush thing… well, I can sympathize with that… *pats Shawn Raven on the shoulder*. And about the wedding… let's just wait and see, shall we?

 **Okay, this chapter is long enough as it is, so let's get into it already!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

Keima smiled as people were passing him by. Some of them were smiling back, offering greetings or even stopping for a moment to talk. Some of them, however, passed him without as much as a glance, like the old Matsuda president just now.

But his 18 year old black-haired granddaughter, who was walking next to him, sent Keima a smile that was neither fake nor disrespectful.

And definitely not cold.

Good thing Mio didn't see that.

"There you are…" he heard a voice followed by a distinct gentle fragrance he got to know so well.

Mio was back.

"So, how did it go?" he prompted.

"Yoshitake is difficult as usual" the girl replied as she took a glass from one of the waiters.

"I take it he's worried about the increase in costs."

"Yes" Mio admitted, taking a sip from her glass. "He's afraid of his profit and insists on expanding the company… and when I told him we were not ready for that he suggested firing people. How did he call it?" she wondered briefly while she swished the liquid in her glass absentmindedly. "Oh, yeah… employment reduction" she snorted. "And he actually had the Koizumi company to back him up on this!"

"Don't worry" Keima told her. "You still have Urara and Yui. They'll support your decision. The same goes for you mother. Yoshitake and Koizumi won't be able to outvote you."

"I know…" Mio said slowly. "But is that really the right decision to make?"

"Let's see…" Keima pretended he was thinking seriously about this. "Yoshitake thinks only about the profit. He has been to the company office, to the board of directors meetings, to the parties... but I don't think he has been to the actual factory. Like ever. To him the company is just a row of numbers that somehow produces things. Oh, excuse me, it produces profit, not things… you, on the other hand, have been to the factory, have seen the people working there and you actually care for them" he looked at her seriously now. "You're much more suited to make decision here than he is."

"Right, thanks for… well… everything" she replied, masking her blush by tilting her glass to her lips.

"Still" she said as the color of her face returned to normal. "I can't just tell Yoshitake off and expect for everything to be peachy in the future" she looked up at him. "What do you think I should do? Just to iterate…" she added as he was preparing to speak. "I'm not making you responsible, you're not my employee and this is not an order. I'm just asking for friendly advice. You're free to refuse to answer this."

"Did you think I felt pressurized by such questions?"

"I just don't want to force you into this more than necessary. You've helped me a lot already" she took another sip. "It's not like I helped you with your gaming or anything."

Keima shook his head. "I chose to be part of your world and I'm not going back on this" he said, thankfully not seeing her blush at his words. "And as for my advice: Yoshitake currently holds the least shares, so you can appease him by giving him more."

"And whose shares should I give him?" Mio asked. "Mine?"

"Urara's" Keima told her. "The idea is for her to gradually disappear from the board anyway. Of course, you'll have to ask her first."

Mio digested the suggestion before nodding. "That sounds good. Thanks."

"No problem" Keima asked as he watched her take another sip from her glass. "Don't you think you're drinking too much tonight?"

Mio rose her eyebrow at him.

"Of course not" she replied. "Not drinking is frowned upon here. We're at a party, remember?"

"What you have there is quite strong, you know" he pointed at her glass.

"The trick is to take small sips" Mio said as she demonstrated.

"Those aren't small sips" Keima noted. "I'd prefer you just pretended you're drinking most of the time."

Her eyebrows traveled further up.

"And why would you prefer that?"

"Because I don't want you to get drunk."

"Are you suggesting I'm a lightweight?" she asked, sensing where this was going.

"Well... if your 20th birthday were any indication…"

"That was Hinoki's fault!" Mio accused, her voice rising, making several heads turn. "I don't know how that devil of a woman did this, but she must've emptied the wine bottle Kusunoki gave me as a gift and poured in some stronger alcohol!"

"No-one else got as drunk as you did though…"

"It was because Nanaka started a competition!"

"...and she fared much better than you. And it's not like she's taller or heavier than you, you know?" Keima noted, by now his voice definitely more amused than worried. "Admit it, you're a lightweight."

"Fine" Mio crossed her arms over her chest, somehow managing not to spill her drink. "You're sleeping on the couch tonight."

Keima chuckled. "Are there any nights when I don't sleep on the couch?" he asked. Mio wanted to retort, but his reply hit home, making her look away and bit her lip.

Yes, she had started the "drinking is legal" part of her life a little bad, but she knew when to stop. Keima was more teasing than actually concerned here and she knew it.

She wasn't even mad at him – she would've do the same in his place after all. Actually, she normally enjoyed moments like that. The ability to do a decent (or perfect, in the case of Keima) poker face, the small "jibes of affection" and pretending to be offended by them were one of their common grounds. Mio liked to think such behavior was the sign that their relationship was healthy. Not too much sweetness. Not too much routine. They kept each other vigilant and interested.

No, the reason for her giving him – pretending she was giving really – the cold shoulder was different.

Being lightweight wasn't generally a good thing and while Mio wasn't as bad as Keima was implying, she couldn't hold alcohol very well. She weighted only 41 kilograms after all! That was just barely over 90 pounds!

The thing was… why was Keima so insistent about it? Today especially?In moderate amounts alcohol was supposed to be enjoyable. It kept the conversation going more smoothly. No actual harm. What was Keima afraid of? It wasn't like she was drinking without him around and it wasn't like she was trying to get hammered. She was just aiming for tipsy at most. They were at a business party for goodness sake!

And it wasn't like she wanted him to get her drunk and take advantage of her… was it?

Well… of course she didn't want for him to do it against her will… but it wouldn't exactly be against her will…

The truth was that her feelings for him had evolved over the years. And just as the crush and infatuation Mio once felt towards Keima had matured into love, the same way what started as subconscious thoughts and dreams had turned into a strong, clear and conscious attraction in the pure, physical sense of the word.

In short, the thoughts of taking their relationship to the next level did enter Mio's mind and not just once or twice.

In theory it seemed more than plausible. They were both of age now: she had been 20 for several months now and Keima's 21st birthday were just around the corner. Not too long ago they had had the third anniversary of being together, so it wasn't as if it was too early either…

Furthermore, Mio wasn't eager to suggest it herself, but if Keima was to suggest it… then it would be a different story… But he hadn't suggested it so far… making Mio wonder if the thought had entered his mind at all. Well, it had to at some point – what with all the allusions his mother had made during till now...

And it wasn't as if Keima had been avoiding physical contact. Quite the opposite – their circumstances as university students had made such contact common and all but necessary.

As for those circumstances, well… they had done as Keima had once suggested – they had rented a small apartment together in the city they were both studying in. It was located on the outskirts, which, coupled with its size, made it relatively cheap. It was a moderate distance from Mio's university and far away from Keima's, but he didn't care much – bus rides being a perfect change to catch up on some gaming.

Living together, just the two of them, in such a setting had been a strange experience, but not an unpleasant one. Naturally, the first reaction of their friends when they had learned that Mio and Keima were going to live together alone had been naughty smirks.

Unfortunately, it hadn't been all roses – without their mothers around they had to do everything themselves: laundry, dishes and food. Naturally, it was an important step – by doing this they could test and see how their relationship actually worked in daily life. The results hadn't been stellar as they were both proud and stubborn people and they had had have several arguments along the way, but all in all they had managed.

Moreover, while they still ate out most of the time and Keima took care of most other meals, Mio had learned and all but mastered several simple dishes. Scrambled eggs here, pancakes there and she had even learned how to make a decent bentō. The last one had become kind of a ritual – Keima would leave their apartment only after Mio had handed him her hand-made lunchbox, had smoothed his hair and had given him his "have a good day" kiss.

True, once or twice the kiss took almost as long as lunchbox making and Keima's hair sometimes looked worse after the kiss, but Mio didn't care.

However, after all that the last issue still remained – the sleeping arrangements. 'Arrangements' was a big word, as the setting was simple. Mio had been sleeping in a small one-bed bedroom that also served as her study and dressing room. As for Keima, well... when he had said he was sleeping on the couch he hadn't been lying.

Of course, it wasn't as if Mio forced him to sleep there. In fact, what she had been hoping for, when she "sent" him to the couch following his "lightweight" discussion just now was to get some reaction from him. She wanted him to complain about having to sleep there, but Keima didn't complain and the comment backfired at her instead.

The truth was Keima had chosen the couch from the beginning of their student lives and back then Mio had fully agreed with him… but that was 2 years ago! Now they were in their third year of university and Mio was slowly getting tired of it. She couldn't help but wonder how would it feel to fall asleep and wake up next to him. True, her bed was small, but she was a petite person, so for once her height could work to her advantage. And she could always use the 'it's not like I want to cuddle, but the bed is small' excuse.

But Keima hadn't suggested they change their sleeping arrangements. All of this made Mio wonder… perhaps he was afraid that sleeping in one bed would be suggestive (and bloody hell, it was!)… or he didn't want to take things further at all. Perhaps she should openly ask about it?

Then there was another explanation: Keima might want to become intimate, but he wouldn't do it unless he said he loved her properly first.

And he hadn't said it yet.

Not that Mio needed him to – she could pretty much tell he loved her as his actions spoke it loud and clear. Still, she was pretty certain his gaming tenets and pride wouldn't allow him to do… that... with her until he had properly confessed first.

And, to top it all off, Mio and Keima's landlords had been _very_ clear about what was and what wasn't allowed in their apartment. Back when they had started renting the place Mio had been rather offended at all the implied insinuations, but in hindsight they hadn't been that far off.

That was also another reason why drinks were tempting. Getting hammered was out of the question. But in little amounts it could help them relax and if both of them were relaxed…

"What are you smiling about?" Keima's voice brought her out of her lengthy reverie and back to the present and the party they were in. It was so sudden that she almost dropped her glass.

"Nothing!" she panicked. "I wasn't thinking about anything!"

Keima raised his eyebrow before smiling. "Who said anything about you thinking anything?"

"Ugh… I'm not telling you anything" she replied, trying to look offended, but she knew she couldn't really stay mad, especially when Keima chuckled and offered her his arm, which she took.

"Is it just me or are you taking those parties less and less seriously?" he asked.

Mio shrugged.

"I don't really have to worry about appearances that much and I'm 20 already. The parties are not that important for becoming the company president anymore. All I have to do is to graduate university..."

"Which won't happen for some time…"

"...and the company is as good as mine" she finished. "Besides, if we're on the topic of taking the parties seriously then take your hand out of your pocket" she ordered.

Keima immediately did as he was told, losing his cool for a moment, which made Mio smile.

Aah… small victories…

She heard a small sound, one she had been expecting and reached for her purse, retrieving her phone and checking the incoming email.

"Who is it?" Keima asked. Mio thought about teasing him and asking if he was jealous, but decided against it – replying to emails during parties was unusual after all.

"Morita" she replied truthfully and Keima only nodded his head. Mio typed her reply and smiled when she was sure Keima wasn't looking her way.

The preparations were almost complete.

(* * *)

"Isn't it a bit too early to leave?" Keima asked as he followed Mio outside the mansion.

"We're not quite leaving just yet!" Mio told him mysteriously. "Just follow me."

Keima did as he was told as they were walking through the empty garden.

"Ah, here we are!" Mio said as she stopped. Keima stopped as well and looked around. This place is…

"You remember it, Keima?" Mio asked, turning back to him.

"Of course, I do" he replied as he looked at the surroundings and the familiar fountain. "This the same backyard where…"

"Where you stole my heart" she finished for him, but she didn't look mad. Quite the opposite – some time ago Keima had discovered Mio had another switch beside her "tsun-dere" button. He liked to call the other one the "normal-flirty" button.

And it certainly looked as if the latter button had been pressed now. It was obvious to see – Mio was walking differently, talking differently and touching him differently. Even her eyes were smoldering.

"Are you feeling nostalgic?" he asked, testing the waters.

"I guess you could say so" she replied, which in her current mood translated to 'damn right I am'.

Suddenly, Keima could hear music. During Mio's original conquest she had taught him to dance without any music, save the quiet sounds that poured from the mansion. This time, however, the music was clearly there and much louder, sounding as if it was coming from behind the fountain. Keima didn't question it further.

"May I have this dance?" he asked instead.

"Naturally" Mio replied, taking the offered hand and soon they were dancing on the stone tiles surrounding the fountain.

Dancing wasn't anything new to them. While they both didn't like the atmosphere of clubs and discos, they did went out on dates that involved dancing.

Now, it started with a simple waltz with Mio keeping eye contact with him, closer to him than the 'proper distance' rule suggested, but still somewhat decent. However, the next song changed that with Mio getting much closer, her body flush against him, her hands wrapping around his back and her head resting on his chest.

This was yet another side of Mio – soft, vulnerable and… well… cute.

Aside that was reserved only for him.

(* * *)

"Hey, are you hungry?" she asked two songs later.

"A bit" he admitted, his eyes fixed on her in something akin to curiosity. Was he wondering what was coming next? "Are we going back inside?"

"No" Mio said, taking his hand and dragging him towards the fountain. There Keima saw a restaurant table just standing there, completed with two chairs. Mio took her place next to the first chair and coughed lightly.

Keima took the hint and pulled the chair back for her and let her sit before he took the other chair.

Mio took the menu that was in front of her and opened it. Keima was just about to look around when he heard a voice.

"May I take your orders?"

Keima didn't look all that surprised to see Morita in a professional waiter outfit appearing next to the table. Knowing the gamer,he probably remembered Mio's earlier email and connected those facts. Keima opened his own menu and noticed that it was almost empty. So he was expected to play along with whatever Mio had chosen, huh?

They made their orders and their waiter bowed and walked away without taking any notes. No more than five seconds passed when another person arrived by the table. This time it was Eri dressed in a typical French maid outfit, holding a tray with two tall triangular glasses and a bottle of champagne.

"Would you like a drink?" the maid asked.

"Yes, please" Mio replied. They have watched as Eri placed the glasses, opened the champagne (surprisingly nothing exploded in the process) and poured the chilled pink liquid into their glasses. Then she bowed, winked at her brother and left.

Once again, a few seconds have passed before third person came by. This time it was Sumire Uemoto, who was holding two trays full of steaming and good-smelling food.

"Sorry for your wait. Here is your food" the rāmen chef said as if it they had been waiting for half and hour instead of total of one minute. Sumire laid the food in front of them, bowed,winked at Mio and left as well. Before she was gone, Morita appeared once more and lighted up the candle in the middle of the table.

After that Mio and Keima were left alone.

"Impressive" Keima said.

Mio beamed at him. "Thank you."

"So what is this?" Keima indicated to the setting. "Our anniversary was some time ago."

"I know" Mio shrugged. "It's just that…our first party… the one when you conquered and kissed me right here…"

"Yes?" Keima prompted her.

"I just felt that it was... interrupted. That it wasn't a complete…. event… so I wanted to do it properly this time."

"I can tell" Keima noted, obviously referring to the carefully prepared setting. "It seems you have been feeling more nostalgic than I thought."

"I guess you could say so..." Mio replied

"In that case" he took off his glasses. "I should get more serious."

"Right" she said, taking her glass and raising it, not looking Keima in the eye, knowing how it would end.

"Cheers!" she said. Keima nodded and after clinking glasses and taking a sip she added. "Now, let's dig in, shall we?"

For the next fifteen minutes they continued to eat, barely talking. Once or twice Sumire and Eri appeared to bring new food or refill their glasses. It was already past sunset and the red sky continued to darken, but their spot was being lighted by the candle, the lamps placed some distance away and by the light sifting through the windows of the mansion. It was still warm, however, and the atmosphere was rather romantic, especially because of the soft music,reminiscing Keima of background music in games, and accompanied by the soothing sound of the nearby fountain.

Throughout the dinner Mio managed to relax, which was probably thanks to the alcohol, and she began to truly enjoy this outdoor date. However, one downside was that so far the date hadn't achieved the purpose Mio was hoping for it to achieve.

That funny feeling, the one Mio had discovered after that party when Aizawa and Okajima had left her company kept following Mio and she hadn't been able to get rid of it. It wasn't exactly a bad feeling, but Mio had subconsciously realized that she should do something about it. That mysterious feeling, Mio had noticed,subsided every time she and Keima went on a date and got stronger during parties. By combining both stimuli – parties and dates – Mio had reasoned that the feeling was the subconscious need to finish the very first party they had shared romantically during Keima's conquest of her. This was why Mio had decided on having a date during a party like this.

She sighed internally, realizing her plan didn't work. Well, in that case she should just enjoy this date. Speaking of enjoyment… unlike her, Keima wasn't looking as if he was relaxing. Quite the opposite – as the date went on he seemed more concerned and nervous. Right now, as he finished his food,he was lightly tapping his finger on the table… Could it be…

"Are you bored?" she asked.

"No" he replied. Mio looked him in the eye, but saw no sign of him lying and he wasn't using his poker face either – his face was calm, but not expressionless.

"So what is it?"

"Well, first, I'm impressed that you prepared all that" he gestured at their general surroundings. "The setting. The staff. It's pretty well-done."

"You didn't seem that much impressed when you saw this setting" she noted.

"I was impressed. I just wasn't surprised" he corrected her.

"You're really difficult to surprise then" she took another sip.

"It's not that" he smiled lightly. "I was just informed about this beforehand."

"What!?" Mio somehow put the glass down without knocking it over. "Don't tell me it was Eri!"

Keima's face said it all.

"That traitor!" Mio raved. "She ruined my surprise!"

Keima chuckled. "Yours perhaps" he said. "But not mine."

"What do you mean?" she asked, not in the mood for games.

In response Keima's hand reached out around the candle to clasp hers.

"What are you-"

"I love you" Keima said.

Yet another time in her life Mio felt as if her bones have all disappeared and her body turned into jelly, melted by the fluffy sensation she felt.

"W-what?" she muttered, even though she had heard him well enough.

"I love you" he repeated, watching as Mio tried to say something, but managed only to sputter, flail her free hand and go through several shades of red.

"Since when?" was the first intelligible thing she managed to get out.

"For some time now actually" Keima admitted, his thumb rubbing the back of her hand – something she was very much aware of.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound as if she was accusing him.

"Well, I guess I'm too used to games" Keima scratched his head. "Normally, I would do events and raise the love points and then the girl would confess. I almost never have to confess first in games. I guess the real doesn't work like that… I have come to realize how much you mean to me now. And yes, I might not be a big fan of parties and outings, but I very much enjoyed this" he gestured to the setting. "And I'm not bored. Not with you" he finished.

"Iloveyoutoo" she mumbled out.

He raised his eyebrow. "Come again?"

"I love you too!" she said clearly, grabbing his hand with her other one and squeezing lightly as she smiled at him.

"I made you cry again" he said, noticing the tears welling up in her eyes, possibly just to divert her attention from his own face going red.

"Those are good tears" she told him.

"Then I guess this went better than my first confession… or will you have Morita crack my bones again?"

"If you don't kiss me right now then I will" she said.

Keima did as he was told.

"So…" she said when they separated. "You have tricked me and turned my event against me. You used it to confess" she told him.

"Yes" Keima admitted. "And no."

She raised her eyebrow at that. "What do you mean?"

"The truth is" Keima started. "I have been thinking about some things as I watched the parties we participated in. Watching the high-class people you interacted with... You devoting yourself to the company... You studying hard."

"Are those bad things?" she asked. "I mean, do you want me to stop doing those things?"

Keima shook his head.

"No. Those things make you who you are" he said, before he stood up and faced the fountain, surprising Mio. She noticed he was looking nervous again, his hands in his pocket."It's just… that the plan was to finish university, get your company situation under control and focus on getting stable jobs. Maybe eve get a small flat of our own."

"But…" she prompted him after he stayed quiet.

He sighed. "But I have found out that it won't work like that" he turned to her and she saw a determined and guilty look in his eyes. "While I was watching you, I have realized I am too greedy for that."

"I don't understand" Mio told him, utterly confused.

In response Keima walked up to her and offered her his hand. Mio took it, clueless and he helped her get up as well.

"Mio" Keima started. "Let's dance together…"

"We kinda did it today already" she said, but stopped when Keima pulled his other hand out of his pocket, turned her own hand palm up and then placed something on it.

"...let's dance together at our wedding."

Mio didn't say anything, all of he brain power trying to understand the golden band that was lying on her hand.

It was quiet for several seconds.

"Umm… Mio?" Keima said after a moment. "Are you al-"

"You idiot!" she shouted out.

"Huh?"

"You didn't have to buy me a ring!" she told him.

"Ugh… is that a 'yes' or a 'no'?" Keima asked. "Cause I can-ugh" he didn't say anything more because Mio jumped on him, knocking him down and making them fall on the grass.

"YES!" she shouted. "I've chosen to have you stay in my heart a long time ago! Of course I will marry you" and before he could react to that she crashed her lips to his, not caring about who could see or hear them or what would happen to their clothes, hair or her make-up.

"So that's why you were nervous" she said when they separated. "And you kept fumbling with something inside your pocket!" then she thought for a moment and gazed at the table.

"I was wondering why Sumire picked champagne of all things" she mused out loud. "It's only used for big occasions. But now I know why" she turned back to him. "It was you who told her to bring it! And that's why you didn't want me to drink too much today. You knew there'll be champagne!You've planned it all! You've tricked me again and you did it by working around _my_ plan for the date!"

"That's not exactly wrong" Keima admitted. "You don't seem mad about it though."

She wasn't. In fact, she realized something. That niggling feeling she had been feeling all this time… it was gone! And now she suddenly realized where the feeling had come from! At that party long ago, when Okajima had proposed to her… she had rejected him by telling him she was ready to marry Keima right then and there!

Essentially, she had been ready to marry him from that moment and had been subconsciously expecting for Keima to propose. And now it happened, fulfilling her hidden desire and completing her, making the pesky feeling disappear, replacing it with joy, bliss and delight.

And while she didn't need a ring, she kept watching with emotion as Keima put it on her finger.

"Mio Katsuragi" she said to herself. "It has a nice ring to it" she giggled at her own pun.

"Katsuragi?" Keima asked, making her look up at him. "Are you going to take my family name? What about your company then? Are you going to rename it?"

She looked at him and then laughed.

"You mean like 'Katsuragi Central Industries?'" she laughed. "Would you like that?"

"Not really" Keima said. "But shouldn't your company be named the same as you?"

"Would you take my name then?" she asked. "Would you like to be Keima Aoyama?"

"Well… I wouldn't be thrilled about it" he admitted. "But if it were to help you…"

"That's very sweet of you" Mio was touched. "But it won't be necessary. The company was my father's so it's going to stay named after him, even if I change my name to yours."

Keima nodded. "If that's how you want it…"

"Yes, that's how I want it" she confirmed, before getting closer. "Now… let me relish in the feeling of you being mine."

She planned to kiss him again until their lips turned chapped, but she was interrupted when she heard some rustling behind. Mioand Keima turned to the source of the sound only to see Sumire, Eri and Morita fall out from some bushes.

Mio had completely forgotten about them!

"It's not like we've been eavesdropping!" Sumire put her hands in front of her obviously lying. "Umm… anyway… congratulations, guys!"

"I'm so proud of you, ojōsama!" Morita said, wiping his tears with a handkerchief. "If only your father could see you now!"

"So your plan worked, nii-sama! I'm so happy!" Eri cried out and Mio felt her eyebrow twitch. So the former devil knew of Keima's plan all along!

Mio turned away from them and back to Keima.

"Perhaps we should go and tell our parents before we celebrate" he suggested.

"Speaking of celebrating" Mio said, getting closer to Keima, making sure only he could hear her. "When we get back to our place, you're not going to sleep on the couch anymore" she promised as she leaned to give him a foretaste of what she meant.

(* * *)

"I do" she said less than three months later.

It was middle of August and the murmur that passed through the crowd was a clear indication that the excitement amongst those gathered inside the chapel was near its apex and one step from bursting. Mikoto was almost weeping with emotion and Keiichi was sniffling as well. Morita – who had personally walked the bride down the aisle in her father's stead – was not so enduring and couldn't stop the tears running down his cheeks. Mari, on the other hand, was looking relatively calm, but it had to do less with her resistance and more with the shock of this entire situation actually happening.

The maid of honor seemed genuinely immune to the sentimental atmosphere. she was standing behind the bride, her entire figure, from her prim dress to her solemn expression, radiating aura fitting for the occasion. However, the same couldn't be said about the best man… or rather the best woman – Eri Katsuragi was fidgeting on her spot, trying very hard to not betray the expectations and responsibility placed on her, but not fully succeeding.

Moments later the marriage contract was signed and the minister said the famous line.

"Now, I pronounce you man and wife… You may kiss the bride."

Said bride, dressed in a light blue dress, a middle ground between a traditional white wedding dress and the blue gown she wore years ago in that memorable backyard, her hair free from her usual twintails, golden locks cascading down her back freely, turned to Keima, now her husband. Keima, his suit, combed hair and lack of glasses making him more handsome than ever, lifted the veil that was partially covering Mio, revealing her face to him, watching as those golden eyes of hers gazed upon him. And even though he was considerably taller then her, it didn't feel as if he was looking down at her.

Strangely enough, normally she was tough and proud, only his knowledge of her telling himof the soft persona hidden underneath, but this time it was the other way around – her face was cute and adorable, her features softened. She was looking completely vulnerable. But he could tell, he could sense the second side of the coin lurking inside. He could see into her golden eyes, past her outer appearance and he saw determination, confidence, pride and desire. Desire to claim him as her own.

Not that any of it was surprising, he thought, as he wore his own genuine smile, knowing Mio was able to gaze into his soul as well.

She waited for him to start moving, before leaning in herself, their lips meeting half-way. The kiss happened just as their first one had – his right hand was on the small of her back, his left hand was grasping her left one tightly, while Mio's right hand was on his shoulder – just as if they were about to dance.

It was a good balance between a demure official kiss to seal their marriage and a kiss of pure love… at least until Mio flung her hands over Keima's neck and brought him closer, involving them into the kiss much more than it was necessary.

As if to confirm this, the people gathered in the chapel stopped being silent and a uniform cheering erupted, followed by thunderous applause.

God only knows how long would the kiss last if it weren't for the maid of honor who cleared her throat, doing her duty of reminding the newlyweds where they were.

"Right" Mio said, her face flushed, not only from embarrassment. "Sorry" she then turned to face the guests and the exit, before looking at her – she had to stifle a girly giggle – husband. "Shall we get going?"

Keima nodded, but instead of offering Mio his hand, he got closer, put a hand securely over her shoulders, bent, only for her to feel his other hand near her knees. Mio tried to figure what he was up to, but before she could she was the one who was up – Keima had quite literally swept her off her feet. There was a chorus of "aah"s and "ooh"s as Mio instinctively wrapped her glove-clad hands around his neck for stability. Only then did she appraise the situation and noticed the obvious.

Keima was carrying her bridal-style. Or princess-style. Whatever.

"Heh, somehow I never imagined you doing a thing like this" she told him, as he started carrying her towards the exit, both of them trying to ignore the giggles, winks and whistles all around them.

"Well, I have been your chauffeur before. It's similar... in a way" he explained.

He certainly had a point, Mio decided as she snuggled closer. He had pulled her carriages, he had offered her a piggyback ride, so it was actually kind of strange that he had never carried her like that. And it certainly felt nice, even if a little embarrassing, so she vowed to have him do it more often.

And for once she was glad she was a small and – by extension – light girl. Well, she was light, but still…

"I'm surprised you can actually pull it off" she teased. "Then again, you have pulled all of those carriages before" she moved one of her hands from his neck to his chest and started to rub, trying to convey her gratitude and appreciation that way. "And I kinda like this" she added in a small voice.

"Glad to hear that" he said with a smile, tossing her just a little bit to secure his hold, earning a small "eep" from her. "Whatever you require, my lady."

She had to stop herself from smirking at his declaration. Yes, to everyone around it might've looked like he was in command – a man carrying a helpless girl, his girl, in his arms. But for her it wasn't quite like that.

First, she might be small, but she was no longer a girl. She was a woman. And second, she might be his – now and forevermore – but he was also hers.

He was her man, she smiled as she tightened her hold on him even more.

Finally, they had walked out of the chapel only to be greeted by cheers and a rain of rosy petals. Mio just hoped no-one will be curious enough to look up as the petals seemed to appear out of thin air.

Soon, Keima had to put his freshly married wife down as a line of people formed in front of the couple, ready to congratulate the bride and the bridegroom and give them their blessings. Of course, there have been best wishes from the parents – now all of them in tears – followed by the bride of honor ("You did it, Mio-chan! Congratulations!"), the best woman ("Right after the conquest I've told nii-sama that you were a cute girl and it was a shame you've lost your memories! *sniff* I'm so happy for both of you!"). Then there was the rest of the guests, including Yui ("You won fair and square! Take care of Keima-kun for me, will you!"), Tsukiyo ("May your marriage be beautiful and may the stars shine upon you!") and Chihiro ("Look at you now, otamega! All grown-up and married. Now, be a good husband and take care of your wife *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*").

After the congratulations were over the newlyweds and the guests traveled to the venue of the wedding party – the newlyweds rode in a classic convertible car with Morita serving as the chauffeur. At the venue, the line formed once again, this time to hand the married couple the gifts and presents. Some of those gifts were envelopes, obviously containing an amount of currency and later – much later – Mio would discover in surprise just how much was there. Of course, there was also a plethora of other presents, ranging from cooking books (yeah, she _will_ certainly need one of those) and dresses to several bottles of good wine (one labeled "use in moderation"). There was even a brand new whip from Hinoki (what were they supposed to do with _that_?).

And yes, Hinoki did attend the wedding.

When all of the touching, pragmatic and embarrassing presents were accounted for, the wedding band started to play some classical music.

Mio realized it was their music.

"Dance! Dance!" the guests chorused, making a circle around the pair.

This was considerable pressure, but Mio and Keima were prepared. They moved closer to each other and assumed the dancing stance.

"How did you say it back then?" she whispered, so only he could hear her. "Let's dance together at our wedding, was it? Well, I guess this is it then. Let's do it right. Let's give them a show" she waited for the time, listening to the notes. There it was. "Let's go."

"Roger" Keima said, grasping her hand firmly, but gently, as they started to move.

From this point onwards they stayed silent, communicating only with their stares and body language, embracing the music and following its rhythm. The response of the crowd changed. The giggles disappeared, replaced by a collective "ooh" which soon faded and everything was silent, except for the music.

Mio and Keima continued to move, shift, sidestep and twirl in perfect unison, describing complex figures on the floor, yet going back to the same spot every time. Their movements were smooth and figures practiced. However, that was not the most surprising thing.

First, while the individual figures seemed to be learned by rote, the sequence of those figures wasn't. In other words, the dance wasn't planned – Keima and Mio were deciding on and entering each figure as they went along. Even more interesting was another issue that started to pop up in the minds of the guests.

Which of the two of them was leading? Was it Mio, the short former high-class pampered lady, raised to do this? Or was it Keima, the nerdy, but brilliant "commoner extraordinaire"? The spectators didn't know, because it didn't look as if either was leading. They just continued to watch, mesmerized.

Both dancers moved, fluidly, matching each other's movements, even when one had to circle around the other. The music was mostly slow and lazy, so it was a surprise when Keima suddenly spun Mio away from him (or was it the other way around?), their hands still joined, only to pull her back to him, twirl her and lean her back, her body barely above the floor, but she didn't seem to be bothered at all, completely trusting her dancing partner... her lover... her spouse.

A loud cheer erupted, followed by applause, but it was short-lived, as the music resumed, this time a little more lively. The pair continued to dance and it was becoming more and more clear why neither seemed to lead. The answer was obvious. In order to lead there had to be the leader and the follower. Of course, it takes two to tango (and, incidentally, Mio and Keima were dancing tango right now) and of course there were two – him and her – but at the same time they weren't…

...they danced as one, moved as one, thought as one and acted as one. They were of one soul, one heart, one mind… even their bodies all but merged, Mio's leg cast over Keima's, her calf hugging his thigh, her pliant body molding to match his.

The music stopped yet again, but the audience wasn't fooled this time around. And with a good reason, as the music started for the third time, once again a waltz. Mio and Keima resumed the dance, once again understanding each other's movements and intentions without words, without anything more than glance and touch.

They twirled around each other, entertained each other and trusted each other. Finally, they separated one more time, all except their hands, making the guests wonder if for those several minutes they had separated at all, before gently coming closer one more time, his hand landing just below her shoulder blades and hers on his shoulder. Her remaining hand opened, gently landing against his palm as their bodies came to a gentle stop, exactly as the song ended, before their fingers intertwined.

And so ended their third dance… but that end was nothing more but another beginning. Thus, the last dance was also the first dance and only now Mio had to struggle, to stay calm, to control her shaking, to not break down into a raucous laughter that threatened to spill out.

She has done it. They have done it.

That dance years ago. That sweet and sour dance that had been their first and could very well had been their last… but it wasn't… They had worked hard to get here. Working together, as a pair of dancers, they had forged their own fate. Conquered it and thus here they stood.

They shared not their last, but their first dance together… as husband and wife.

And in her heart Mio vowed for it to be one of the many more dances to come.

But dancing would have to wait for a moment, as the music was no more… completely drowned out by the wild cheers.

And then the party started for real.

However, itwas completely different from the many business parties Mio had attended in her life. There were no fake smiles, guarded glances or stiff conversations here. Instead, people were talking, joking, laughing, eating, drinking to the newlyweds and, well, dancing.

It wasn't completely random disco-type dancing Mio didn't enjoy, but it wasn't an official setting when everyone danced the same way either. And looking at all the smiles and listening to all the voices and laughs, Mio had to admit.

Despite their flaws, official parties had some charm to them, but the parties like the one happening right now were much better.

So commoners knew how to have fun, huh? Well, it's not like this was news to Mio – she and Keima had attended a number of birthday parties and similar events. It was enough to mention Mio's own birthday not so long ago.

The party continued. Mio had just ended dancing with Ryō Asama and watched as the boy left in the direction of Eri. Mio originally wasn't sure if she should invite the blond buddy in the first place – he wasn't very close to her or Keima and they weren't aiming to beat the world's greatest-number-of-wedding-guests record – but they had decided to do it.

And somehow, the guy wasn't as bad of a dancer as Mio expected him to be, though the was no genius, that much was certain.

She continued to watch various people. Keima was right now dancing with Shiori, the shy girl looking scared and clumsy, but at the same time determined and happy.

A little further, Mari was currently dancing with Keiichi. Moreover, she could see Ayumi and Urara in the company of their boyfriends. A group of girls, including Sumire, Hinoki and Nanaka were drinking. There were also Jun Nagase, talking lively to Yuri Nikaidō, who was rolling her eyes. Then there was Haqua, standing close to Keima, apparently waiting for her turn. And Mio could also see that small devil girl Akari, who was looking as if she was trying to explain to one of Mio's cousins that she wasn't a kid.

And then there was Mio's own mother Mikoto who was dancing with Morita.

Mio narrowed her eyes at that. She didn't have any hard evidence to prove it… but she had this suspicion that there was… something between her mother and Morita. They did hang out a lot more often nowadays, despite the fact that even during wedding preparations Mio had been spending most of her time out of Maijima.

But she would think about it some other time, she decided. For the next fifteen minutes she continued to dance, drink and endure people teasing her. Then, as she was walking away from Ayumi and Chihiro absent-mindedly (totally not staring at her mother and Morita), she bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry" she said, turning around only to see that she bumped into her own husband, who chuckled at her.

"What's so funny?" she questioned.

"Nothing… I just remembered that's how it all started… you bumping into me."

"Aah…" she remembered it as well, that day years ago when she was looking for the opportunity to get closer to him and they bumped into each other. "Well… I more like crashed into you…"

"Yes" Keima agreed. "But I'm glad you did."

"Yeah… me too" Mio looked away, blushing. She saw a man, someone from Keima's family, walk in her direction, clearly with the intent to dance with her, but he was intercepted by the maid of honor, who understood that Mio and Keima wanted a moment to themselves.

However, the comment Keima made a moment ago bugged her. He was glad they bumped into each other so long ago. He was glad they were together, but the question was...

"Hey" Mio said, getting Keima's attention.

"Yes, honey?"

For a moment Mio forgot what she wanted to ask. Darling? Dear? My love? My lady? She could understand all those… but honey?

Not that it didn't feel good to be called like that – quite the opposite actually – but where did that one come from? Oh, yeah, she had blond hair and golden eyes, so it must be that. There was no other reason. Keima disliked sweet things after all.

Come to think… Keima was looking at her expectantly. Right, she wanted to ask something.

"I know this is really late asking that… and I'm certainly happy we're married… but why did you marry me?" she felt her face grow hot at that. "I-I mean, I remember all you've said… but I'm not the greatest girl out there and I just…"

"You're just can't believe that this is happening. And you wondering why I married you" Keima finished for her and when he saw her nod, he continued. "Well, you don't have to worry about that. I'm god. You just have to believe in me."

She gave him a playful nudge. "That's a cheap way to weasel your way out of my question, you fraud!"

"Fraud?" he repeated, feigning being hurt. "That what I get for calling you honey?"

"Well, I may call you chauffeur" she offered.

"And an alien, right?"

"Nah… you're weird enough as it is. And I'm not calling you god" she said and went quiet for a moment. "How about 'hubby'?" she teased.

"If it pleases you" he replied. "Anyway, to answer your question. I guess one of the reasons, beside me loving you, is that I want to see more of your smiles."

"Smooth, playboy" she said, before getting more serious again. "But I'm a difficult girl and I rarely smile."

"Oh, really? You're smiling now" Keima noted.

"Well, it's your fault, idiot" yup, her nicknames for him were getting better and better. "Anyway, if you're fine with someone as me, then I'll believe in you… and you can make me smile all you want."

"Roger" he replied, making her giggle.

"Excuse me" Mio stopped her giggle and turned to see Himura – her papa's former manager who she had met while attending the parties. "May I have this dance?"

Mio nodded and turned to Keima, but he was already being dragged to the dance floor and, judging by the speed, the one doing the dragging was Ayumi.

"Do not worry, ojōsama" Himura said, getting her attention back to him. "Your husband will be back before you know it."

"I know" Mio replied as they started dancing.

Himura made a face that expressed polite surprise. "To think I have expected a completely different reaction from you."

"What do you mean?" Mio asked, although she knew what he meant.

"You have grown" the man smiled. "Last time we danced, that boy was not your fiancé yet. And now this man is not your fiancé anymore either, but your husband. And you are not a girl anymore. You are a woman. You have truly grown, ojōsama. Your mother must be proud of you... And your father would be proud of you as well."

"Thank you" Mio managed, her throat contracted with emotion.

For a few moments they danced in silence.

"I am not seeing too many people I know here" Himura noted finally. "Am I the only one businessperson who attended your wedding?"

"Well, there's Yui… I mean, Yui Goidō.Urara Shiratori is here as well. And there was also a person from the Koizumi company who was at the wedding, but he couldn't attend the party."

"That makes four people from you board of directors, including you" Himura noted, surprising Mio. Did he track her actions? Was he watching over her?

Keima, Morita, Urara, Haqua... and now Himura… Seriously, how many guardian angels did she have?

But if Himura knew this much, then he must know that…

"But there's five people on your board, is there not?"

"Aah… about that" Mio smiled nervously. "Yoshitake-san is outside the country this week, so it couldn't be helped. Besides" Mio added as she observed Hinoki with a group of people laughing, probably to some kind of joke the older Kasuga had told them, each of them with a glass in hand. "He wouldn't have liked that kind of party anyway."

"I agree… it was kinda fortunate turn of events for him then."

Mio nodded. Naturally, she had given Yoshitake an invitation, but had known he wouldn't want to come for any non-business party. Still, he would have probably come out of obligation, so Mio had decided to make it easier for both of them and... pulled some strings. This was why Yoshitake's business trip was happening now.

Of course, she wasn't going to tell Himura that.

A minute later the dance ended, with Himura bowing in respect and leaving. Mio looked around, but no man in her immediate vicinity was looking for an occasion to dance with her. Well, the guests here were mostly women, so it wasn't that surprising.

Mio noticed her husband – her heart sang when she thought of him like that – dancing with Kanon now. Hinoki was also gone from her last spot. The confident woman was probably entertaining some other of her guests now.

Or, more likely, being entertained by them.

"Hello, dancer-san!"

Speak of the devil, Mio thought, as Hinoki appeared out of nowhere, putting her arm around Mio's, a glass in her other hand and an amused smile on her lips. "How about a toast?"

Mio blanched a little, remembering what happened on her 20th birthday. She should just excuse herself quickly, but before she could utter a word she felt another arm around her shoulders and turned to see Nanaka.

Oh, boy...

"Cheers!" the shōgi player announced much louder than was necessary, raising her own glass. "A toast to the story of de golden general!"

"A story of what?" Mio asked, not even noticing when Hinoki managed to put a glass in her hands.

"Golden general" Nanaka repeated cheerfully and, when she saw Mio didn't get it, she continued. "It's you, gal!" she explained, obviously meaning Mio's hair and eye color. "When yer castle shattered you became an ordinary small pawn, but ya didn't give up! Ya not only marched forward, but ya also managed to capture the god! Ya showed 'em all!" Nanaka made a gesture that could only be a sign of respect. "And now, ya even managed a promotion and yer back to bein' a golden general" the shōgi player inspected Mio's wedding dress for a moment. "Or perhaps it's a white general…"

Mio lost track of what was a shōgi analogy and what wasn't, not even sure if 'promotion' meant her company, engagement to Keima or the wedding.

"That's right" Hinoki leaned closer, so she could clink glasses with the orange-haired girl and Mio. "Cheers!"

Both girls downed their glasses quickly, while Mio drank barely a third.

"So… how does it feel to be a wife?" Hinoki resumed. "Are you prepared to pick up your husband's socks?"

"Keima isn't like that!" Mio protested, but not too strongly, damn certain that Hinoki was trying to lure her into some kind of trap.

"Yeah, Keima ain't nothin' like that!" Nanaka echoed with a slight slur.

The older girl chuckled at that. "Yeah, right…" she drawled. "Well, I can't help you with the socks thing… but I sure can give you some other hints regarding married life" Hinoki winked.

Ooh... there was the trap. And it had been sprung just now, considering the glint in Hinoki's eye… until she widened them when Kusunoki started to pull her away from Mio.

"Nooo!" Hinoki whined. "This chance won't happen ever again! Please let me embarrass her some moooree!"

"Please forgive my older sister" Kusunoki said after giving her sibling an elbow that was anything but discreet and before bowing to Mio. "Congratulation once again, Ao-Katsuragi-san" and then she walked away, dragging disappointed Hinoki away.

"Ooh" Nanaka suddenly pointed to some other part of them room. "I dun remember drinkin' with 'em yet… smell ya later!"

"Yeah" Mio replied, not really comprehending, her mind still on what Kusunoki had called her.

Katsuragi-san…

Yeah… it certainly had a nice ring to it…

She was brought out of her reverie but another voice.

"Omelet-soba bread!"

Mio whipped her head around, obviously not seeing any bread, but she saw the owner of the voice.

"Urara! That was a strike below the belt!" Mio berated.

"My apologies" the Shiratori heiress replied, before going closer to stand next to the bride. "Next time, I'll shout 'Keima Katsuragi'. That will get your attention even quicker, right?"

Mio snorted and looked away, scanning the room for her husband. There he was, in the middle of the room and he was – surprise, surprise – dancing. His partner right now was Chihiro who did a great jobof confusing Keima as she moved in time with the lively and utterly non-classical music.

Mio and Urara watched as Chihiro suddenly grabbed Keima's hand and started to pull him in one and then another direction. It wasn't really a bad dance per se, but Keima, currently bereft of any semblance of control,was certainly not used to this, as Chihiro took the lead, having them move, sway and twirl all over the dancing floor, a miracle that they didn't crash into anything. Wherever they appeared the people would look at them incredulous before smiling, cheering them on or clapping their hands in time with the music.

Mio herself had to laugh when she saw the look on Keima's face that seemed to scream "Quit dragging me places!"

"Laughing instead of being jealous" Urara noticed. "That's good."

"Right" Mio replied, before she glanced at Urara. "Thank you."

Urara turned to Mio. "Thank you?" she repeated, tilting her head. "For what?"

"For everything" Mio said lamely. "For helping me with Keima. The tsundere hint and all…"

"Come to think of that, you and him are like tsundere duo!" Urara laughed. "Well... I didn't help you all that much, but you're welcome" she continued, before smiling. "Besides, we had a deal – you promised to make me your maid of honor and you kept your word, so we're even"

Mio shook her head."Still... you let us have our wedding party in your house… for free" Mio paused for a moment. "And it's not like the envelope you gave me and Keima was thin either…"

"Don't even start on that" Urara waggled her finger in a playful warning. "And, if you're feeling obligated, then let me have a toast with you."

Mio hesitated for a moment, but then gave up, smiling as both girls clinked their glasses.

"To you and your husband!" the maid of honor said. They were both just about to chug down their drinks when a pair of voice interrupted them.

"Wait for us!" it was Yui, followed by Tsukiyo.

"Now let's have an ojōsama toast!" the drummer announced and, after one more clink, the four glasses were emptied.

Ojōsama… that one word made Mio think. Could she consider herself back to being that? Well, this entire setting… the proposal, the wedding… it seemed like something taken out from a game or a fairy tale…

…like in Cinderella.

Perhaps this was princess-like enough to justify her being called ojōsama again?

No… there might've been a lot of parties and a life of a commoner and even a pumpkin-shaped carriage at one point (Mio almost slapped her forehead. Why didn't she thought about going from the chapel to the party venue in a pumpkin-shaped carriage!?)… and yes, Mio had managed to achieve some success after a period of neglect – just as the name 'Cinderella' was supposed to mean –but her story wasn't exactly like Cinderella's...

She wasn't really forced to do menial chores – working as shop assistant and a waitress didn't even come close to what Cinderella had to endure before getting her happy ending. No, quite the opposite – Mio had been a wealthy princess that fell from her high horse and lost much more than just a little glass slipper, becoming a commoner in the process.

So she both was Cinderella, well a more haughty version of her, and someone entirely different at the same time. Her life was like one big reversed and messed-up Cinderella story.

But one thing was for sure, Mio thought as she watched Keima being pulled by arm in two directions by Sumire and Minami…

...she had found her prince charming…

Keima, the prince, and Elsie, the fairy (imp?) godmother – they both had helped Mio find her lost slipper and drove away the shadow, the poison that seized her heart – the very poison that kept Mio under a spell that made her brood over her past.

Keima had woken her up from this spell with a kiss shared under the moonlight in that backyard.

Wait… A slipper…? Poison...? Awakening by a kiss?

Was it Cinderella, Snow White or Sleeping Beauty now?

No… it wasn't some stupid fairy tale. This was real. She was real. Thus, she shouldn't compare herself to some fictional characters. She should make her own story!

Story of a tough prideful girl that hid her jello heart from the world. Story of a girl who had met a boy. The girl and the boy who weren't on the best of terms at the start, but ultimately joined forces, forming not one, but three alliances.

The first alliance was the two of them learning about the real world and the world of commoners.

The second one was them working together at the parties to help Mio reclaim her father's company.

Finally, the third alliance had just come into being, Mio thought as she looked at the ring on her finger – no longer an engagement ring, but a wedding ring – proving that her and Keima were now connected through the mightiest alliance of all –the vows and bonds of love.

"That is certainly a beautiful ring" Tsukiyo said, snapping Mio's attention back to her wedding guests, her face red. "But you can stop looking at if for a second, can't you?" the moon-lover teased.

The arrival of Eri, Mari, Keiichi and Mikoto saved Mio from having to answer that.

"Mio-oneesan!" Eri said as she hugged Mio from behind, but that was hardly surprising – Mio had enough time to learn that the female Katsuragi sibling was… affectionate towards her future, or rather present, sister-in-law.

"I'm younger than you, you know?" Mio noted.

"Mio-imouto!"

"I didn't say you can call me _that_!"

Everyone except Mio and Eri laughed at that.

"Eri, let's dance!" Yui suddenly said.

The firetruck-lover looked at her quizzically. "But we're both girls…"

"So what?" Yui shrugged. "Besides, you're the best man, so it's your duty as well" the cross-dresser, exceptionally wearing a dress today, grabbed Eri and proceed to the dance floor amongst another bursts of laughter.

Speaking of dancing, Mio thought as she started to walk, she should go look for Keima before other girls completely destroy his sense of rhythm.

"So, tell me Mio-chan" Mari said as soon as Eri was out of earshot,grabbing the attention of the bride and several nearby people. "Can I expect grandchildren soon?"

The sound of the conversations died out. Someone choked on a cake. Blank glances appeared on many faces before they all turned from Mari to Mio. More than one pair of lips morphed into an amused smirk.

Mio herself remained still for a moment, leading to the first outbursts of giggles, but then she swirled around a sly smile on her lips as she closed her eyes, turning them into a pair of crescents, brought her finger in front of her lips and wagged it a few times.

"That is... as-e-c-r-e-t!" she singsonged before turning away from Mari's shocked face and giggled, walking off to search for her husband.

 **(* * *)**

 **Ta-dah! So here it is! The proposal, the wedding and a whole lot of dancing. I hope that was good enough for you, my readers. :)  
**

 **The truth is, this chapter took a looong time to write and a lot of ideas were coming to me randomly... but the final effect is to my liking... even if it's a little over-the-top.**

 **Before we go further, there's one thing to clarify here. Some of you may think "that's a weird way to end the story"... well... that's because it's not exactly the end yet. I just didn't think I could squeeze the epilogue in here, so there'll be one more short chapter. Let's hope it will be below 3000 words and will appear in a week xD.**

 **And after that it's KanonNomi at last!**

 **Going back to the chapter itself, if for some of you the wedding and the party looked weird, then the reason is probably that I did a mix between Western and Japanese (westernized) wedding styles with addition of the customs from my country... and my wild imagination xD.**

 **As for Morita and Mikoto being chummy with each other, I had a plot for that kinda subplot, but in the end I decided to reduce it to just a mention.**

 **Anyway, if anyone wants to see how the very ending of Mio and Keima's first dance looked like the final moments of the ballroom dance scene in Final Fantasy VIII cinematic (you can find it on youtube). Just to iterate – just the last moments of the dance, although the rest looks nice too.**

 **And If anyone's wondering – yes, Hinoki totally swapped alcohol bottles at Mio's birthday xD.**

 **This chapter is pretty much full of references and it's also rather meta, which means I reference a lot of things either from the previous chapters (Mio crashing into Keima early in MioNomi) or the original conquest of Mio. In particular the title of this chapter is one big reference to Mio's original character song "Last dance". It is a really good song and it even has it's 8-bit remix version. I recommend you listen to it if you haven't yet.**

 **Of course, there's also a bunch of other references like the one to the "It's not like a like you" tsundere song ("jello heart"). The closing Mio line is also a reference to Xello's from the Slayers anime... which is kinda meta as ZelgadisGW has noticed xD. And there's even a reference to a board game... but it's aimed at a very particular reader so...**

 **Speaking of parts addressed to particular people. To ZelgadisGW and Sir Sleeps-a-lot: know that I took a great care to not reveal Urara being the maid of honor as long as possible. :)**

 **And to Shawn Raven: ready to beat the review length record yet? xD**

 **Speaking of reviews: as always I invite you to drop me one, especially as this story almost at it's end. If you haven't yet faved or followed this story then feel free to do so!**

 **That's it for now. The next time I update this fanfic, the story of The World Mio Only Knows will come to an end!**

 **See you till then! :)**


	23. Flag 63: Goodbye, sweetie pie

**UPDATE: Due to some notification issues on the site I'm reposting this chapter, so sorry if you've got the same notification twice. Also at the very bottom there are replies to the reviews to the epilogue.**

 **Hello everyone!**

 **I'm back... it took me way too long, especially because of some work I had to do near the end of April, but here it is...**

 **...the final, epilogue chapter of The World Mio Only Knows, otherwise known as MioNomi!**

 **Because of that there's quite a few things to talk about this time, so there's no new poll or pokemake this time.**

 **Here are replies to the latest reviews:**

 **Normality Is Key: So many mistakes… how do I keep making so many mistakes T.T Although "rote" was no mistake :). Sorry about KusunokiNomi thing… but we will get to her. Anyway, thank you very much for your kind words. I'm not sure I have grown so much… it really feels like you had a lot of chances to practice proofreading. I'm also happy you spent so much time re-reading my stories :). I'll look forward to your reviews on KanonNomi, even if they'll be late. I hope the frequency of my updates will be higher though. P.S. I'll see if I'll manage to do something about your honorable mention ;).**

 **Sir Sleeps-a-lot: Dayumn… that's a long-ass review… Your review wasn't that late so no worries :). Yup, snuggling… that's exactly what Mio meant there xD. Yes, drinking age in Japan is 20, but it was Mio's 20th birthday so it was okay :). Glad to know you liked all the dancing :). Let's call it Keima's gambit then xD. Yup, time skips and "story time limit" was why Keima couldn't confess earlier. Well, I usually called "crop" as simply "whip". And I think Mio didn't have a bachelorette party… so Hinoki gave the gift when she could xD. And about hiding the maid of honor… well... "Crouching Hinoki, hidden Urara" it is then xD. Well, the fairy tale imagery was mostly a reference to Mio's original conquest. Thank you very much. I'm glad to be in this fandom as well :). Yup, it was a board game reference. I love references and it seems I'm not the only one :P. Glad to make you smile :). We'll see about that bundle of joy though.**

 **Fssmonik: yes, Mio's is not the most favorite character in the fandom and this makes me even more thankful for you reading my story and liking it :). Yeah, I wish the fic was shorter, but I was unable to make it so. Thank you very, veeery much for your kind words :). I'm overjoyed to hear my stories have that kind of effects on my readers :). Well, about KanonNomi… I can't promise you'll like my portrayal of her (especially, since she's one of several girls with special circumstances), but I hope you will :). See you next time.**

 **ZelgadisGW: thank you very much, I'm glad you liked the chapter. As for Sumire, I'm sure her father could manage the shop for a few hours :). It seems adding Hinoki is always a win xD. Yup, maid of honor is already there, so you lost your argument :P. Nyan! =(^.^)=**

 **Leyknar: Thanks, glad you liked it :).**

 **Shawn Raven: Dayumn! That's a long review as well xD. That's the penultimate chapter and it really has been a year, believe it! XD Heh, so you have been waiting for bentō scene? :P I'm sorry for your kokoro, but I don't regret doing that to you :P. So you're done by a sappy scene seen from a mile away? Gooood :). There seemed to be a lot of people waiting for the maid of honor thing xD. Yup, Mio has her own fairy tale :). And I agree: cheers to the happy tsundere couple! :D. Your reviews usually make me laugh, but Morita handing you the tissue is golden xD. P.S. You sure of that? XD P.S.S. Whatever floats your boat, man :P. P.S.S.S. Me? Challenging you? You had to read it wrong xD.**

 **Of course, there's more to say, but I'll do that after the chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **(* * *)**

The Christmas tree was standing tall and proud, its branches decorated with glass balls, candies and other objects coming in all sizes, shapes, colors and shininess, with the lowest branches barely managing to hide several packages of different size and dimensions wrapped in bright colorful paper.

Mio was sitting by the table, writing something in a piece of paper in front of her with a pen. From time to time she grimaced, using the pen to push up her glasses. She was used to typing on her laptop and signing company papers with recognizable but messy signs… but regular and extended handwriting was something she did rarely these days as evident by the lopsided letters and digits in front of her.

Seriously, how difficult was it to do some simple accounting on a sheet of paper?

Of course, normally she worked in a spreadsheet, but Keima had taken away and hidden her laptop for today. But she still wanted to do some calculation for their family budget – Christmas were especially expensive this year and they were also some additional... expenses. Furthermore, there were more things that Mio would like to purchase the next year, so she wanted to make sure those purchases were feasible, which wasn't easy considering the ongoing and half-finished investments.

She was in the middle of applying taxes to her overall calculations when in she heard a sound that was different from the regular background noise she was used to hearing nowadays.

"Hey…" a voice said, following the sound of a drawer being opened. "What's this?"

"Looks like a book of sorts" the same voice replied, as it to itself, but not quite.

Mio was more than intrigued and looked at the other side of the room, before standing up and walking closer.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

A nearly six year old blond-haired boy leaped into the air, surprised and then backed away from the drawer as if he had been burned. He was walking back until...

"Watch out" Mio said, but too late – the boy tripped over one of his toys and somehow landed head-first onto the floor, the carpet cushioning his fall.

"Owwie" the boy whined.

"Let this be a lesson to you, young man" Mio said as she helped the boy up. "Now, let Mama kiss the pain away" she brushed the blond hair away and kissed the boy on the forehead. "There, all better. Now what were you looking for in that drawer?"

"Mama!" Mio turned and saw another blond-haired six-year old run up to her.

Yep, the boys' names were Keita and Yūta and they were nearly-identical twins, normally differentiated by their haircuts.

And yes, both of them were Mio and Keima's children…

...which meant Mari's wish for grandchildren had been granted… and doubly at that. Of course, Keima's mother had been ecstatic about the prospect of having two grandchildren, but Mio hadn't been so sure.

Truthfully, when she had learned she was pregnant, it wasn't really a shock by itself. The pregnancy wasn't exactly anticipated, but it wasn't unwanted either. However, learning that she had been carrying twins was a big shock.

Moreover, it didn't end with just a shock. Over the years, Mio had learned to deal with her short stature or even use it as an advantage in some situations. But the idea of giving birth to two babies was something that brought her much anxiety, which only increased when she had felt the first kicks.

Truth be told, Mio didn't remember the actual birth all that much and what she did remember hadn't been pretty. However, it instantly got better when she got to hold her firstborns and when Keima had been finally allowed at her side.

Speaking of Keima — Mio looked at the wall clock briefly — he was supposed to be back in ten minutes. She went back to her second son, who ran up to her.

"What's this, Mama?" the boy asked, showing his mother the object he was holding.

Mio took the book and recognized it. "It's our old photo album."

"Photo album?" both kids repeated in perfect unison.

"How do you turn it on?" Yūta asked, apparently looking for a button on the book. Mio chuckled at that. Thinking about it, she could use a break. "Let's go, Mama will show you" she grabbed each boy's hand with one of her own, guiding the kids to the sofa and sitting on it.

"A photo album" Mio started, "is a book where you keep printed photos. See?" she opened the book to augment the explanation.

"Why not keep them on the computer or on your phone?" Keita asked.

"Yeah, why spend money when you have the phone already?" Yūta added.

The boys might've been nearly identical appearance-wise, but they were quite different in terms of personalities. Needless to say, Keita was already expressing interest in all forms of digital devices, while Yūta had more business-like disposition. This was rather funny when one realized they kids were named after Keima's and Mio's father respectively.

"Well, once upon a time there were no phones and people had to print pictures like that" Mio offered a simple explanation. "And some of those pictures are quite old."

"Hey, who's that?" Keita asked, pointing at one picture.

"That's Papa" Mio said. "When he was your age."

"Really?" Yūta squinted his eyes.

"And here is your grandfather, Yūri" Mio pointed to another picture.

"Who is he holding?"

"Your Mama" Mio replied and both kids looked at her as if she was lying.

"This is Mama?" Keito indicated to a small blond baby Yūri was holding in the air.

"Yes" Mio replied. "And here is your Papa, feeding both of you at the same time" Mio said, holding back a laugh. That was one of the best pictures in the entire album – Keima Katsuragi using the God of Conquest mode: babies feeding version.

"Is this Mama as well?" Yūta pointed to another picture, showing Mio when she was 19. "Did Mama really wear her hair like that?"he asked and Mio nodded. Nowadays, she had shorter hair and let them loose or wore a simple ponytail.

"And why are Mama and Papa lying in the snow here?" Keita asked, indicating to the picture from the time when Mio and Keima went on that trip to Hokkaidō. The picture was the one Mari took after both teens collided with each other and landed in the snow, Mio on Keima's chest.

The children continued looking through the photos with varying levels of interest. Mio stopped paying attention to pictures and observed the children instead. Yes, the pregnancy and the childbirth wasn't easy. Far from it. It took Mio a long time to get her body back in order after such an event and it was certainly a difficult and worrying time.

After that it was nowhere near easy either – for Mio, feeding two hungry babies was… difficult to say the least. Good thing they didn't have any trouble with finding someone to take care of thekids. Mari, Keiichi and Mikoto were especially eager to babysit when Mio and Keima had to leave the house or when they just wanted a few hours to themselves. That pattern continued for several years, but after that, the fact that the children were twins proved to be beneficial, as they could just play with each other most of the time, resulting in more free time for their parents.

However, the biggest problem when it came to children, at least in Mio's mind, was how to actually raise them. In short, Mio didn't want her children to ever experience what she had – being poor and without one parent. Of course, she wasn't turning them into wealthy snobs, but she did try to accumulate enough money in order to not repeat her father's mistake and to have a "safety cushion" for whatever unexpected events might befall her family in the future.

Yet, putting aside all that, having children was much more… fulfilling than Mio thought and she could now understand why her father doted on her so much. She fondly recalled reading her children bedtime stories, like Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel (ahh… the bread crumbs!)and, of course, Cinderella.

All-in-all, she got a very fluffy feeling when she watched the children.

Her children. Keima's children. Their children. The fruits and proof of their love.

"Eewwww" Keita's voice brought Mio back from her musings. "What's this?"

The boy was pointing to another picture and when Mio saw it, she laughed.

"That's Mama and Papa kissing under the mistletoe."

"Gross" Yūta said, stating the already known opinion of Mio's children on adult display of affection.

"Actually, this picture is from a video grandma Mari recorder. I think I have it on my phone" Mio retrieved the said item. "Do you want to see it?"

"NO!" both twins said at the same time.

It was then when Mio heard the telltale sound of the door being opened. She turned to looked over her shoulder and, sure enough, Keima was there, a sizable bag in each of his hands.

Mio grinned.

"Kids!" she said. "Papa's home!"

The children didn't have to be told twice. They immediately left the sofa and ran towards their father with a cries of "Papa!", giving Keima two seconds to lay the bags down, before they jumped into his arms.

"You're late" Yūta accused his father.

"Papa! Papa! Mama showed us book with printed pictures!" Keita waved the book in question in front of Keima's face.

"Kids, help Papa carry the bags" Mio said, knowing well enough that it will take them a moment to carry the bags and rummage through them in curiosity, leaving Mio and Keima to themselves.

"Welcome, Papa" Mio greeted him, referring to him the way their children did.

"Hello, Mama" Keima replied, giving Mio a kiss on the cheek.

"So, are you free yet?" she asked.

"Almost" Keima took off his jacket and put it on a hook. "My boss wants me to run one last errand, so I'll have to leave for half an hour. Sorry."

"It's okay. That's the price of being the boss' most trusted employee" Mio reasoned.

Part of her wished Keima would be employed in her company. This could be arranged if her company bought the majority of shares of his, which wasn't unthinkable. Then Keima definitely wouldn't have to work on Christmas Eve. But Mio knew he would never agree to her wasting money like that. It was true that they weren't exactly poor, but the company's situation was far from perfect. Furthermore, Mio remembered all too well what had happened after her Papa had passed away, so she had made a great effort to save up money, just in case. She vowed to not let her children experience poverty like she did.

"But you have the time for coffee break, right?" Mio asked, as usual her eyes shining briefly at the prospect of Keima's coffee combined with bread.

"Aren't you overestimating me a bit?" Keima asked and Mio chuckled.

"Naah… I'm sure you can do it" she said, getting closer. "All you need is a good luck charm" she flung her arms over his neck, climbed on her toes and kissed him. Keima's hands immediately went to the small of her back as he brought her even closer.

"Eww! They're at it again" Keita (or Yūta, they were indistinguishable by voice alone) whined and Mio reluctantly stepped back. Keima nodded and headed for the kitchen.

Soon after that, the entire family was seated by the coffee table.

"Mama, I'm hungry" Yūta said at one point. "Can I-"

"No" Mio said. "You already ate enough cookies. No more eating till the first star appears and we sit down to the Christmas Eve supper. The same goes for the presents" the last remark was directed to Keita, who was inching closer to the packages hidden under the Christmas tree. "No touching them until the supper is over."

Keita went to the window to await for the appearance of the first star, which would take a while, as they light pollution made it difficult to spot any stars at all.

"Mama" Yūta spoke again. "Will grandma Mikoto eat with us today?"

"Yes" Mio replied. "And we will visit grandma Mari and aunt Eri tomorrow."

"What about aunt Urara? Or aunt Yui?" Yūta continued.

"Or aunt Tsukiyo?" Keita chimed in.

Mio gave Keima a questioning look. The man in question thought for a moment and put his cup down.

"I'm sure Urara would be happy if we visited her" he said. "And about the others… I'll figure it out."

"Your Papa is resourceful as usual" Mio said, more to Keima than to their children.

"You're not too shabby yourself in that regard, madam president" he winked at her, obviously alluding to her being the company president.

"Don't call me that" she groaned. "I had enough of being called president this week" she recalled signing heaps and heaps of papers just to be free during Christmas.

"Yes, ma'am" Keima said, putting down his empty cup and checking his watch. "I gotta go" he said, leaning over to give Mio a kiss, before whispering one word into her ear and making her blush.

"Honey".

This was a nickname completely different from the "president" Mio's employees were using or the "Mama" moniker her family was using in everyday situations. No, "honey" was a pet name that only Keima was using and mostly when it was just the two of them.

At first it was just a pet name, but Mio wasn't sure where it had come from. During her wedding she thought it was just about the color of her hair and eyes. Then it became rather fitting during the honeymoon… but Keima continued to use that particular nickname months after that. Finally, curiosity had gotten the better of her and she had asked him why he'd call her that.

She remembered the look of surprise on his face for a moment, before he said.

"Because you are like honey."

And when the questioning look didn't leave her face, he continued.

"At first honey is seemingly nothing more than a brown block. Hard cold crystallized surface, guarding its inner secrets. Difficult to breach and taste... But once you warm it… it changes into a river of pure gold… the sweetest of sweets… and its sweetness is one I can't get enough of."

Let's just say from that day forth, Mio enjoyed that little pet name even more that before. Like right now she shuddered and she wasn't sure what caused it more: Keima's breath on her neck or hearing him call her like that.

Keima smiled, seeing that one little word still had the same effect on Mio. It was true he had told her the meaning behind the pet name, but he had more thoughts on his wife he hadn't shared with her.

Keima had an opinion on real women, or at least, vast majority of them. Compared to game heroines they were difficult to understand and comprehend, their complex peculiarities confusing and not rewarding enough. Furthermore, the real with its one hair color was simply boring. It seemed those two features contradicted each other – interesting girls were too difficult to handle and those manageable were too boring.

Mio, however, was different. She was a girl with two sides – prideful spitfire and sweet prankster. Harsh and gentle. She could be serious, especially when she was sitting in her president chair or attending board of directors meeting, but she could also laugh. She wasn't a pushover, but she wasn't impossible either. She could be a very firm negotiator, but to his husband and children, she showed quite different side of her, especially when she snuggled against Keima at night after a hard day's work.

Keima remembered that once upon a time, real women were often hindrances, unwelcome obstacles in his life. But Mio wasn't an obstacle, but rather a challenge. She would banter with him occasionally, keeping him from getting bored, but not nagging too much either.

In short, Mio was not an obstacle or hindrance, but a challenge: a never-ending, not-too-hard challenge, which Keima would be willing to spend the rest of his life learning everything there was to learn.

(* * *)

Several hours later, after the Christmas Eve supper ended, the kids unpacked their presents, Mikoto played with them ("Grandma, grandma, Mama showed us this photo album today!"),it was finally bedtime. Mio was already in her night gown, reading a book.

Finally, Keima entered the bedroom.

"I put the kids to sleep" he told her as he started to change. "And your mother is sleeping in the living room."

Mio nodded, putting her book away. She wasn't exactly sure her mother should be sleeping on the sofa, but the older woman wouldn't have it any other way. A few moments later, the lights went off and Keima got under the covers, immediately wrapping one hand around her protectively, his chest flush against her back as he breathed in her scent.

"You still act as if we have one small bed and have to cram together" she noticed, trying to mask her shudder.

"I told you we don't need that big of a bed" he replied. "Except when the kids are too scared to sleep alone" he added and Mio laughed.

"I love your laugh" Keima said, his hand brushing over her stomach and making her giggle for another reason altogether. "I love you, honey."

A declaration of love and that pet name in one sentence was too much for Mio, as she turned back to him and crashed her lips to his, relishing in the familiar sensation.

"I love you too" she said when they separated, before grinning. "My sweetie pie."

"So I'm a sweetie pie with a honey topping, huh?" he remarked, seeing as she was pretty much on top of him.

"Yup" she told him, getting comfortable on his chest. Truth be told, she had an inclination to do more than a kiss, but she decided against it, content with the feeling of Keima's hand raking through her hair.

"Goodnight, sweetie pie."

"Goodnight, honey."

Soon after that, Keima had fallen asleep, while Mio stayed awake for a while longer, her fingers making small circles on Keima's chest or brushing away his hair, while she dwelt on how her life turned out to be.

It certainly wasn't perfect, but it was more than enough and Mio hoped that it was the life her father had wanted her to live.

'I hope you're proud of me Papa' Mio thought before Keima's steady breathing lulling her to sleep as well.

(* * *)

Mio continued to snore lightly and didn't stop even when the sun peeked through the curtains, the weak light caressing her face. She looked really serene, sleeping like that, but it didn't last forever.

"Mio, it's time to wake up."

The girl in question stirred a bit, but didn't wake up.

"Mio!"

The girl mumbled something about five more minutes.

"Mio, your bread is waiting!"

The last remark finally made Mio open her eyes. She blinked a few times, then sit up, looked around and spotted the person who had woken her up.

"Mom?"

"Finally, you're awake" Mikoto Aoyama said. "I know it's Sunday, but it's past 10 already" she paused. "Are you all right?" she asked, seeing that Mio continued to look at her blankly.

"Yeees" Mio replied. "Everything's fine" her mother looked suspicious. "What's with that look?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure" Mikoto Aoyama furrowed her brow. "It's just that you'd been behaving a bit weird yesterday" she looked at Mio. "Are you sure you're not sick or anything, honey?"

"Yes, I'm fine" Mio said quickly. "Now, can I have some privacy, please?"

Mikoto watched her daughter for a second or two, before nodding and closed the door, her mumbles about puberty reaching Mio's ears.

The girl however ignored that and stayed still for a few more moments before plopping down back on her bed and sighing, the realization washing over her.

Her and Katsuragi touched the orb on Friday evening and now it was Sunday morning. The "weird behavior" her mother mentioned was most likely the hagoromo doll Mio had asked Yui to procure to substitute Mio for a day. The last thing Mio remembered was her and Katsuragi with the orb on her couch. Mio didn't know where Katsuragi was now or who had been taking care of him(her mother didn't say anything about a boy sleeping on their couch, so someone had to take care of him), but that wasn't important right now. What was important was that it happened.

Mio went through with… this orb thing and it was over.

She stayed in her bed for a few more minutes, trying to organize her thought and, more importantly, feelings. Her memories seemed to be completely intact – she remembered everything, including the way Katsuragi conquered her and all other memories she… acquired.

Then she inspected her feelings. She did remember feeling things, her heart being conflicted. She did feel embarrassed and even angered, realizing Katsuragi pretty much seduced her and kissed her. However, there was also the feeling of gratitude, because Katsuragi did save her from the past that was haunting her. And Mio did feel embarrassed about the way she made him activate the orb...

...but aside from that there was nothing. The thoughts of Katsuragi didn't seem to stir her heart anymore.

So it had worked – from now on, Mio Aoyama and Keima Katsuragi would be just acquaintances or even friends (provided Mio was feeling gracious enough).

She was free, both from the past and from those feelings that took hold of her heart.

'I guess then all that is left for me to do now is to wish Kanon good luck' Mio thought as she got up and headed to the bathroom to wash her face.

She did wonder though. She couldn't remember anything that happened while she was in the orb world, but she felt strangely well-rested in a way she hadn't felt for ages.

Furthermore,for some reason or another it felt as if she had been dreaming the last night and she smiled.

Because she had the feeling that it was a really good dream.

 **(* * *)**

 **So here it is. The final chapter.**

 **I realize some of you might be sad for Mio going back to her reality or for the story ending at all... and it's not like I don't understand you. However, that's how this stories work. And don't worry about Mio – she had chosen this route herself and she succeeded. Now she's pretty much happy and free to truly move on with her life. And if you're worried about the story ending... then you can always re-read it. Be my guest. :)**

 **Anyway, that story took waaaay more time than originally planned. I don't mind words/chapter count by it took over a year... That's a serious problem, but I'll leave that discussion for KanonNomi.**

 **Some general thought and trivia on this last chapter. I wanted to use several ideas, some of them planned before the fic started, namely the honey metaphor thing and the hard-but-not-too-hard challenge thing. Similar goes for the twins – they were planned when the story was half-done or so...**

 **...speaking of twins, I realize a petite girl like Mio and twin pregnancy might not be a good thing, but such things happen :). Staying with the topic of kids, don't blame if how I portrayed them was different from how 5 or 6 year-olds act. I never had kids. :P**

 **The "sweetie pie" thing, however, was not planned at all, though I'm happy how it turned out.**

 **Speaking of that... sorry for the title of the chapter. It alludes to both Mio's nickname for Keima and this being the last chapter and it even rhymes... but it's not perfect.**

 **Once again, the portrayal of Christams Eve was largely based on Christmas customs from my country, the "spotting the first start" thing in particular.**

 **And I almost forgot to have Mio switch back to using "Katsuragi" instead of "Keima" in the end...**

 **Of course, the chapter and the entire story contained a lot of references both from KamiNomi manga/anime and from other works (heck, last chapter even a board game got a reference! xD). For example, in this chapter I referenced Mio's father holding her up when she was a baby. Moreover, both twins are a reference of sorts to Asami Yoshino and Ikumi Yoshino (cookie for you if you know them :P).**

 **All-in-all and putting aside the insane length, I like how this story turned out and I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.**

 **However, even though The World Mio Only Knows ends, the series continues. The next part in the series — The World Kanon Only Knows — will be here soon. I know a lot of people were waiting for that :). However, I need to prepare the prologue, so I can't start KanonNomi right after MioNomi, so you'll have to endure a break of at least 7 days. Sorry.**

 **Anyway, now I would like to thank all of my readers for reading this story and supporting Mio and Keima. Thank you for every view, favorite, follow and review. I want to thank everyone who reviewed all or almost all of my chapters: ZelgadisGW, Sir Sleeps-a-lot, Shawn Raven, Normality Is Key, sasori69 and Leyknar. Thank you very much for your continuous support *bows in gratitude***

 **I would also like to thank everyone who took their time to review the story more than once: DPSS, Neonspy, Laialot Siedenumi, NiteyNite11, gonzalorp94. Dayin, AnimeLoverQ8 and solasyafiq. I hope I didn't miss anyone. Thank you very much for supporting me and my story.**

 **Now, a few people deserve special thanks/honorable mention.**

 **First, I would like to thank ZelgadisGW and Sir Sleeps-a-lot for all their support, ideas, motivation, corrections, reminders (Urara :P) and opinions. They were all very important for me and this story wouldn't be the same without you. I'm still waiting for image for MioNomi though, Zelgadis. :P**

 **I want to thank Shawn Raven for his continuous, exhaustive, amusing and motivating reviews. Your reactions always manage to cheer me up, even if I'm already happy, so please continue to use them. :)**

 **I also want to thank Normality Is Key for the efforts he puts in proofreading my chapters. It's too bad I'm usually too busy and too la-busy I meant just busy to correct them all, but I want to know your efforts are appreciated. If only I made less mistakes, because I get the feeling I made more of them lately... T.T**

 **Okay, I think that's pretty much it. I'll wait for some time and then I will add a section below, responding to the reviews for the final chapter. And soon this story will be marked as complete.**

 **Thank you all for sticking with me throughout this story. It has been a long and fun ride.**

 **Finally, I encourage you all to follow The World Kanon Only Knows once it gets posted. :)**

 **See you later!**

 **(* * *)**

 **Here are replies to the last reviews:**

 **Leyknar:** Thank you very much. I hope KanonNomi will be to your liking as well :).

 **AnimeLoverQ8:** You're welcome :). I really hope you'll be right about my next fic :).

 **Fssmonik:** Thank you very much. Yeah, it's sad that so many fics end up unfinished. I'm glad you like the baby-feeding god mode :P. Hm… you're right about the honey thing – so many bees have to visit so many flowers just to produce 1 kilogram of honey. And bees can sting. Well, Mio can't sting, but I'm sure the body parts that she whips sting a lot :). I like the girls-bees being attracted to Keima analogy as well :). As for Asami, you're almost completely right. The family name is Yoshino though (so it's Ikumi Yoshino) and Ikumi was not really a conquest target (certainly didn't have a runaway spirit). So yeah, you get the first cookie and one prologue-type KanonNomi cookie was already baked and delivered, so itadakimasu! :) As for the KanonNomi length… sorry, but 190k words is too much for a single fic.

 **El Sasori69:** Hey, I see you changed both your pen name and profile image. I'm glad you're happy… less glad you're sad and angry, but well, I'm the reason for it, so I gotta face the consequences. And, of course, you get the second cookie and I'm very happy you voted on my Light Novel girls poll. Thank you very much for that. And I know the forgetting part is hard to accept, but I really think is for the best – keeping the inside-orb memories would end up being a real problem for the girls. And yay for more KamiNomi fics! :)

 **DPSS:** Well, what can I say here… I did my best... I guess. Still, thank you for commenting on this.

 **Normality Is Key:** Yup, it really has been over a year. Heh… next time you review, please be sure to tell me how does a pie with honey topping tastes like xD. And frankly, I don't know how to write in italics or bold in the reviews… Anyway, I'll look forward for your reviews on KanonNomi and we'll see about personal references ;).

 **ZelgadisGW:** Yup, Christmas time! The WALL-E analogy is nice, but I didn't think of it when I wrote that part xD. I didn't really think of Alex, although the analogy is clear here as well. As for the honey analogy, thanks for actually picturing that using your drawing skills ;).Anyway, I've kinda took your advice to heart and wrote prologue of KanonNomi in a different way. Besides, you know that already ;). About handling Kanon… I wonder about the same thing. And I love the chanting Imhotep reference here ;).

 **Sir Sleeps-a-lot:** Yay, for being fashionably late. If it's any consolation I'm also fashionably late with the replies xD. Yup, it was a good dream, but just to iterate – Mio orb-time didn't end when she fell asleep. I guess I'll have to describe it more directly in KanonNomi. So, it's not like Mio didn't get to say goodbye or something. But yeah, losing a chance to say something is always a hard thing to go through. What's higher that 10/10…? Well… you could always just take it to eleven and make it 11/10 you know? XD #tvtropes Anyway, I'm certainly glad to hear that I grew :). I'll see what I can do about the references thing, including the pokemon ones. *walks around the tree* Thank you and you're welcome :).

 **Shawn Raven:** Thank you for you review :). Unfortunately, I haven't watched much of Trigun, but I remember who Vash is… a bit :P. And where did the honey come from? Simply from hard and cold honey being unattractive at the first glance and requiring care to become warm and sweet and this particular part was planned before the fic was first published :P. Yay for corny! xD. I'm sorry to hear about the ripped apart thing… Anyway, I'm very happy MioNomi and AyumiNomi both gave you that feeling you described next. And you're welcome :). Whoa…! That's a long sentence you have there xD and I agree with it. And I'm wondering about those tasers myself and yes, you're plenty humorous :). Yes, I believe you'll be back and yes, you can have your moment :).

 **Ok, with this I'm officially marking this story as complete.**

 **See you in KanonNomi! :)**


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